The Taming of the Sand
by Friglit
Summary: Following the failed invasion of Konoha, a wounded Gaara returns to Suna. Aoi is the peace loving medical-nin assigned to tend to the feared Jinchuriki. On feeling a strange bond with the tormented boy... ON HIATUS
1. Prologue: A New Begining

**Disclaimer - I do not own any of the Naruto characters or anything else from Naruto-land. Sadly.  
**

**Warning: some liberties have been taken with the Naruto time line in this fic, largely because I prefer to write about older characters. This story is set in the events following the chunin examinations in the Naruto time line, but all characters ages have been increased by 2 years so Gaara, Naruto etc are 15. **

** Also**** some Japanese words/honorifics are used as I feel they add to the story, however as my understanding of the Japanese language is non-existent these may be incorrect (although I have tried my best to only use ones I am fairly certain about). SO if anyone notices any inaccuracies please let me know. **

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**Prologue: A New Begining  
**

Aoi bit her lip as she slowly walked home, cradling a small bundle of blankets in her arms. Another failed mission.

How was she going to explain it to her elder sister?

Unlike Aoi, Kin was an excellent shinobi who excelled in combative situations and had recently obtained the rank of ANBU. A veritable genius, she was both widely known and respected throughout Suna. Which only seceded in making things even worse for her younger sister. People always assumed that just because they were related, Aoi would show the same talent and confidence in her abilities that Kin displayed so naturally. However it only took a single glance at her mission success record to see that this clearly was not the case.

To put it bluntly, Aoi was a failure. The reality of the matter was that she just didn't have what it took to be a shinobi.

A sudden movement in the bundle she was carrying pulled the blue haired ninja from her somber thoughts. Looking down she was confronted with a small sleepy face.

"Hello there little one," she chuckled gently as the small creature blinked at her with wide brown eyes. "Don't worry, we're almost home now." The tiny ball of fuzz regarded her for a few more minutes before chattering happily at her and returning to its nest of blankets. Aoi felt herself smile softy. 'Well at least some good has come from this disaster of a mission' she thought as her new charge wriggled in her arms.

* * *

Slowly Aoi creaked the open the front door of her home and made her way to the kitchen. Gently placing the now still bundle on the table, she proceeded to start boiling water for tea, hoping to bring it to her sister as a conciliatory gesture before breaking the bad news. She had just reached up to the top shelf to retrieve the tea leaves when she was startled form her task.

"Aoi," the cool voice drifted from the doorway. The young girl flinched, dreading what was to come. Squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep calming breath, Aoi slowly turned around. In the doorway stood her sister, leaning casually against the frame with her arms folded beneath her ample bosom. With her long golden hair pulled off her handsome face in a tight braid, still dressed in her ANBU black, with her white mask held loosely in her right hand, Kin cut an intimidating sight. But then, she always did.

"Hello Nii-san," Aoi mumbled nervously, trying to avoid her sisters severe gaze.

"You're back from you mission early," Kin observed. Aoi swallowed.

"Hai. I... there was..." she began.

"You failed another mission." It was not a question. Aoi dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Hai," she muttered dejectedly, "Gomenasai." There came a loud sigh from her sister's direction. Aoi remained staring at the floor as she heard her sister push off of the door frame and make her way to the kitchen table.

"Aoi, look at me," she commanded. Hesitantly the younger female obeyed, slowly lifting her gaze to meet her sister's dark brown eyes. "Good. Now sit down. We have something we need to discuss." With a small sigh of her own, Aoi slid into the chair opposite Kin.

"Aoi," the blond haired shinobi began, "you've been a shinobi now for almost a year, and yet your mission failures still far outweigh your successes. Why is that?" her voice was firm and cool, as though she were interrogating a prisoner. Aoi shrugged self consciously.

"I... I don't know," she muttered.

"Aoi! Do not lie to me. You must have at least some inclination," Kin growled, causing Aoi to bite her lip nervously and drop her head forward so that her pale blue bangs hid her now teary eyes. She hated this. Failing Kin the way she did so often. She knew that her shortcomings reflected badly upon her genius of a sister and she hated herself for it, but no matter how hard she tried she could not seem to make things right.

Kin sighed and leaned back in her chair, noting her younger sister's distress.

"Aoi," she said again, this time in a much gentler tone. Slowly her sister lifted her head, allowing her moist aqua eyes to meet with Kin's dark ones. "I have watched you train countless times. You have spectacular reflexes, chakra control that shinobi twice your age would envy, high intelligence and excellent stealth. Yet somehow you fail to master even some of the simplest offensive jutsu's and fail your missions time and time again. Why?" Lowering her head once more Aoi mumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" Kin asked sharply. Clearing her throat, Aoi repeated herself;

"I don't like hurting people," she whispered. Closing her eyes Kin sighed, tilting her head back and massaging her temples. She had always worried about this. The gentleness of her sister's nature, her aversion to causing others pain, even at her own expense. Kin had hoped that it would fade, given enough time, that she would become desensitized to it. But deep down she had known that it would not. It just wasn't in Aoi's nature to cause others harm.

"Tell me Aoi, do you even want to be a shinobi?" The blunette looked up, startled.

"O-of course!" she spluttered. Kin opened an eye and lazily regarded her sister.

"Why? A shinobi's job is to hurt people. By your own admission, that is something you cannot bring yourself to do. So why do you want to be a shinobi?" The question was followed by a few minutes of silence. When Aoi finally answered her face shone with a determination that Kin had rarely ever seen in it.

"You're wrong," Aoi said softly, her still damp gaze meeting Kin's firmly. Kin raised an eyebrow at this. Aoi was actually standing up to her? This was new. "It is not a ninja's job to hurt people, although that is sometimes an unfortunate necessity. It is a ninja's job to protect people. That is why I want to be a shinobi. I want to help those that need it."

Kin sat forward in her chair, steeping her fingers and regarding the blue haired girl before her.

"Alright Aoi, if that's truly how you feel then I think I may have a solution to this little problem of ours." Aoi's wide teal eyes met Kin's hopefully. "Although I warn you now, it will take a lot of hard work and dedication and even then there is a chance that you will still fail to become a decent shinobi." The child leaned forward, closer to her sister, her eagerness clear on her face.

"Please Nii-san, I'll do whatever it takes!" Slowly Kin nodded.

"Very well. Tell me do you remember my former teammate Tomasu?" Blinking in confusion Aoi nodded. "Well as you may be aware he is currently our head medical-nin. Now as it happens, he still owes me a favor or two from our team days. I can ask him to train you as a medic if you like." Slowly Aoi's face broke out into a radiant smile.

"Yes Nii-san, I would like that very much!" she said eyes dancing with delight. Finally, a way that she could really help her friends and peers without hurting anyone! Kin gave her a small affectionate smile.

"Very well then, I shall speak to him immediately," she said as she made to stand. However as she rose her eyes fell on the tangled pile of blankets. Frowning slightly she reached out to pick it up, only to have it give an indignant squeak and flail out of her grasp. Raising an eyebrow she turned to her sister for an explanation. Aoi's eyes widened.

"Oh! Toshi! I'm sorry I forgot all about you!" she exclaimed as she quickly gathered the bundle into her arms, peeling back the blankets to reveal a miniature, very fluffy ferret. The small animal blinked its large black eyes several times at the sudden light, before turning to Kin and chattering angrily at her. Aoi chuckled at the animal's behavior.

"Aoi... why do you have a ferret in our house?" Kin asked. Aoi smiled at her older sister.

"I found him on the mission," she explained, "his mother was killed by a fox and he was all alone... I couldn't just leave him there!" Kin sighed and shook her head. That was another thing she would never understand. Aoi's love of animals.

_'Although to be fair that's probably to do with Aoi's Kekkei genkai' _Kin reminded herself. Although they both shared the same mother, Aoi had a different father, and it was from him that Aoi had inherited the strange bond that she had with animals. Or at least that was their mother's explanation. Never having met Aoi's father Kin couldn't be sure. Still odd though it was, Kin couldn't deny that it was useful. They were possibly the only house hold in all of Suna that did not have to worry about snakes and scorpions invading their home. Aoi simply asked them not to.

Aoi's stifled giggle brought Kin back to the present. She eyed the noisy ferret warily.

"What's he saying?" she asked. Aoi glanced at her older sister, tying her best to control her laughter.

"You don't want to know," she told the older woman gravely, cuddling the cheeky little ferret to her chest to stem the flow of insults that he was directing to the blonde. Kin shook her head.

"Fine, whatever. Just don't let it bother me and I don't care what you do with it. Now I'm off to talk to Tomasu," she muttered as she turned and walked out of the room.

Aoi smiled to herself as she watched her sister leave. This was it. Her last chance to make her elder sister proud of her, to stop being an embarrassment once and for all. _'From now on,'_ she promised herself, _'I'll do whatever it takes to be the best medical-ninja Suna has ever seen.'_

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**Please review, constructive criticisms are especially welcome.**

**Thanks for reading!**

** Friglit **

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	2. Chapter 1: Meeting the Jinchuriki

**Just to reiterate, all characters in this fic are 2 years older than what they should be, i.e Gaara and Aoi are both 15.**

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**Chapter 1: Meeting The Jinchūriki**

Two years had passed since the day when Kin had offered to have Aoi trained as a medical ninja. Aoi was now working in the hospital under the tutelage of Tomasu-sensei, the Suna's head medic.

As it turned out, Kin had been more than accurate in her description of the workload Aoi faced, indeed there were night where she didn't return home until the early hours of the morning, only to have to rise again after a few snatched hours of sleep and repeat the whole ordeal. Any free time she had was usually spent trying to cram in as much study as possible or otherwise trying to better her skills.

Her mentor was not an easy man to please, giving out few words of encouragement or praise and many punishments for inadequate work. Although Tomasu was not known as the most friendly of people, it was easy to notice that he treated Aoi harsher than any of his other subordinates. Even though Aoi would never voice such a thought out loud, she strongly suspected it was as a result of being forced to take her on as an apprentice by her sister. Still grudging or not, Aoi was grateful for the chance to learn from him and strove to do her best to please. Over time the gruff man even began to mellow around her and a bond of sorts formed between mentor and student.

Things were finally starting to turn around for Aoi, she was slowly but surely becoming a competent medic, her sensei appeared to be relatively fond of her and taught her well, her sister seemed pleased with her progress and she had the best friend anyone could find in Toshi (even if he was a potty-mouthed trickster of a ferret).

However the turmoil following the chunin examinations in the year of her fifteenth birthday soon put an end to any complacency that she may have felt.

* * *

Aoi ran down the corridors of the hospital, nimbly dodging past the crowds of loitering people frantically gabbing at each other. Things had disintegrated into chaos ever since the returning team from Konoha had reported the death of the Kazekage. The news had spread like wild fire, and within an hour every jonin had been summoned to the council chambers to discuss the fate of the village. Unfortunately this had included Tomasu-sensei and a majority of the other top ranking medical officials, explaining why his usually strictly run hospital had become a mad house.

Finally reaching her destination, Aoi let out a relieved sigh and slipped into her mentor's office. Closing her eyes she let the calm aura envelop her, as it always did when she entered. She had just needed to get away from it all. All the noise and fear so palpable she could almost taste it. She really didn't cope well with crowds. Especially ones on the verge of mass panic.

Her heart rate had finally returned to normal when the door behind her flew open. Jumping in surprise she turned to find herself facing Kaede, one of the hospitals head nurses.

"Finally! I've been looking everywhere for you!" snapped the no-nonsense woman. Leaning forward, she seized hold of the blunette's wrist before proceeding to drag her back into the hell that had broken loose outside. Aoi blinked as she let herself be hauled along.

"You've been looking for me Kaede-san?" she asked, her voice thick with confusion, "why?" Kaede snorted at her question.

"Why, you silly girl? Because your one of the few medics we have left in the hospital and we have wounded to treat!" A wave of guilt rippled through Aoi's body as the truth of this statement sank in. While everyone else had been so focused on the news of the late Kazekage's demise, no-one had thought about the well being of those who had only just returned from their missions. Biting her lip Aoi began to stammer an apology to the nurse.

"Don't apologize to me. Just come along and do your job," she interjected firmly.

"_Ah, shut up you old hag!"_ chattered a familiar voice in Aoi's ear. Hiding a smile the blue-haired medic gave Toshi a reproachful glance as he scrambled onto his favorite perch on her shoulders. _"Che, we are the only ones that do any work around here in the first place! What would they do if we decided to sod off?"_ he snorted, _"the whole place would probably grind to a halt. She oughta be more grateful."_ Aoi chuckled, thankful as always that no-one else was privy to her furry friend's opinions. She had long since given up on scolding him for his lack of manners. He was, after all, a ferret. And they weren't exactly known for their politeness. Nor did she point out that he actually did not contribute in anyway to the hospital. Such a thing would only gain her a nip on the ear. As far as Toshi was concerned, people ought to just be thankful to him for gracing them with his presence.

Kaede sent a nasty glare at the arrogant mustelid **(1)** that sprawled round her young companion's neck like some kind of absurd fur stole. Pulling the girl up a surprisingly empty corridor, the nurse came to a halt in front of one of the many examination rooms which lined the hallway.

"In there," was the only explanation she offered as she gestured to the door, "and once your done with him I'd like you to check out the other two as well." Frowning slightly in confusion, Aoi walked over to glance through the large window at her soon-to-be patient. On seeing the redheaded boy that awaited her, she let out a loud gasp.

There, sitting with his back towards them was Subaku no Gaara. The village's weapon and resident cold blooded murderer.

Aoi turned to face Kaede, horror written all over her delicate features.

"Kaede-san! I can't treat him!" she pleaded frantically. Kaede scowled at the terrified young ninja before her.

"You can and you will. Or do I have to complain to Tomasu-san that you are refusing to do your job?" she growled as she crossed her arms. Aoi felt her lip tremble slightly as her eyes flicked back to the window, indecision wracking her brain. She really didn't want to let her mentor down, but then again she really would quite like to live to see tomorrow... Kaede let out a quiet sigh as she watched the clearly frightened girl before her.

"The boy's hurt Aoi. And yes, monster or not he is still a boy. Hurt quite badly I might add. But none of the others are willing to go into the same room as him," Aoi's teal eyes met the nurses steady gaze as she continued, her tone soft, "if you refuse to treat him then I don't know who else to ask. I may not approve of that creature in there,' she gestured to the window with her hand, "but I am a good nurse and I will not turn anybody in need of treatment away. I had thought that you of all people would understand that sentiment." Aoi dropped her eyes to the ground. Kaede was right. She had no right to dictate who did and did not deserve her help. What had she been thinking?

_"Oh hell no!"_ snapped Toshi, _"Don't fall for the evil hag's guilt trip! We go in there and he'll flatten us with that demonic sand of his! I'm too pretty to wind up as a bloody mess on the floor!"_

"_Enough Toshi,"_ Aoi silently admonished her distressed companion, "_I am going in. Its up to you whether or not you join me." _At that the ferret let out a long chitter of profanities, causing Aoi to wince. She never would get used to her small friend's colourful vocabulary. Once he had finally vented enough of his anger, Toshi offered her a reply:

_"Che. As if I've got a choice. I let you go in there alone and you would most likely do something stupid like try and hug him,"_ he snapped sulkily as he settled his long body down across her shoulders once again, his tail curling idly round her throat. Only the tension in his paws indicated how nervous he really was. Smiling gratefully at him, Aoi petted him soothingly on the head. Truthfully she was glad he was coming. She wasn't sure she would have the nerve to go in alone.

"_Alright then. But I want you on your best behavior."_ She warned him. Lifting his head he gave her a disgusted grunt.

_"No shit! Do I look suicidal to you!?_"

Kaede watched the silent exchange patiently. Over the last two years she had become accustomed to such things. Eventually Aoi lifted her head and met the older woman's gaze. Taking a deep breath she gave the nurse the answer she had been waiting for.

"Okay. I'll do it." Kaede nodded briskly, but Aoi noted a slight hint of approval shining in her eyes.

"Good. Don't forget once you're finished with him you still have the other two to check out," Aoi frowned slightly.

"Who are the others?" she enquired.

"His siblings and team mates, Temeri and Kankuro." Aoi looked at her in a puzzled manner. Kaede shook her head, "no. No-one is willing to see them either. Although whether its because they are afraid of the two of them spending so much time with the Jinchūriki, or because they are the late Kazekage's children I don't know." The nurse scowled in disgust as she thought of the cowards that called themselves medics, before letting a more compassionate look grace her features, "those poor kids. You think that people would have a little sympathy, what with them just finding out about their father's death."

The blunette felt her heart wrench for them. She knew what it felt like to loose a parent. Slowly her eyes drifted back to the window of the examination room. Temeri and Kankuro were not the only ones to have lost their father. Aoi wondered if this Jinchūriki... this boy, if he too was suffering from the news of the Kazekage's demise. Almost absently she nodded to the older woman.

"Alright. I guess Id best get started then," she said softly as she started for the door. On reaching her destination she paused apprehensively, hand on the handle.

_"Its not too late to back out!"_ chirruped Toshi hopefully nuzzling her ear.

_"No,"_ said Aoi gathering her resolve firmly as she became aware of Kaede's eyes on her back, "_we are doing this."_ Grumbling his objections, the ferret's head flopped down on her shoulders as she turned the door handle and walked into the room, closing it gently behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Aoi felt her confidence vanish. Oh Kami. She was going to die in this room, she just knew it! Taking a deep breath to calm her jangled nerves, Aoi turned to face her patient.

Gaara sat on the examination table with his back to her, an air of cold indifference surrounding him. He hadn't even bothered to turn around at the sound of the door opening. Swallowing nervously, Aoi began to inch forward, repeating the phrase '_please don't kill me_' over and over in her head like some kind of demented mantra.

As she neared him, a strange sensation washed over Aoi's body. She froze in place as she considered it. It felt like... pain. But not physical pain. Emotional. And there was something else too... loneliness? Frowning, Aoi began to look round the room for the source. Over the years she had become accustomed to intercepting emotions, it seemed that as well as permitting her to communicate with animals, her genkai also caused her to pick up on their emotions if they were intense enough. And from the strength of these, there was a severely distressed animal somewhere nearby. Aoi's frown deepened as she failed to find any other creature in the room besides her, Toshi and of course Gaara.

Drawing a blank, Aoi slowly shook her head and turned instead to the job at hand. She would just have to investigate later. Steeling herself, the medic slowly she walked up to face the redheaded boy.

"Hi," she began nervously, "I'm Aoi, I'm here to check your wounds." As she spoke, her aqua eyes met with his icy green. The moment their gazes crossed Aoi froze as a suddenly overwhelming wave of emotions that were not her own engulfed her, drowning her in their intensity. Eyes widening she stared dumbfound at the boy in front of her.

It was him. The emotions were his.

'_But how!?'_ she screamed in her mind, _'he's human! The genkai only works with animals!'_

_'But he's not human though is he?'_ whispered another part of her mind, '_he's a jinchuriki.'_ Slowly Aoi blinked, comprehension settling in. Of course. This boy was Shukaku's container. And Shukaku, technically, was a tanuki (**2)**. A demonic sand-tanuki to be accurate, but evidently her genkai did not make the distinction._'So these really are his emotions that I'm feeling?'_ she asked herself, highly shaken by the revelation.

Toshi's sudden nip on her ear made her realise that she had been staring at Gaara longer than was polite. Flushing she stammered an apology.

"G-gomenasi," Gaara said nothing. Instead his eyes flickered to the ferret which was coiled around her neck. "Oh! Ah... this is my friend Toshi. I hope you don't mind him being here. He really wont be any trouble, I promise." Gaara's indifferent gaze flickered back up to meet her eyes.

"Fine," he said softly in his strange, raspy voice. Nodding hesitantly Aoi moved closer.

"Well then if its alright with you I'll start the examination?" Gaara nodded and stood to remove his shirt. Aoi's eyebrows snapped down in a frown as he peeled of the loose cotton to reveal his lean, well muscled torso.

His naturally pale skin was died a dirty brown colour with dried blood. A slick of red bloomed fresh on the ragged makeshift bandage which bound his left shoulder. Closing the remaining gap between them, Aoi began to remove the sodden material, exposing the wound.

The ripped, blood stained cloth peeled away to reveal a gaping hole in his shoulder. Aoi's eyes widened in horror. He had come all the way from Konoha in this state and no-one had seen him before now? He had to have been waiting at least an hour! It was a wonder he was still conscious.

Aoi felt a ripple of anger run through her petite frame. Had he been anyone else he would have been rushed into intensive care the moment he set foot in Suna. _'But then again,'_ Aoi reminded herself, _'if he was anyone else there's no way he would have made it back in this state to begin with.'_ Gritting her teeth in frustration with her colleagues, Aoi forced her mind back to her job.

"This will most likely be easier if you lie down," she ordered softly, all fear gone now that she was concentrating on her work. Without answering, Gaara complied, stretching out on the cold examination table and closing his eyes as she set to repairing his abused body.

* * *

Two long hours later, Aoi had managed to repair the majority of the damage to Gaara's shoulder. Thankfully the wound had been too high to puncture his heart, but it seemed that this was the only mercy given to the redhead. Instead the wound displayed severely mangled pectoral, deltoid and trapezius muscles and a fractured collar bone. These were nothing however to the damage done to the intricate net of blood vessels.

It was the latter that Aoi found the most draining to repair, not because of difficulty but rather because repairing each individual tear took time and the utmost precision. During the procedure, Aoi wondered fleetingly what had managed to cause such extensive damage to the reputed untouchable boy, but this thought was soon shoved to the back of her mind as she continued her work. Finally finishing, the blunette sat back gazing in satisfaction at the shiny new skin which covered the shinobi's shoulder.

Turning her head towards Gaara's, Aoi opened her mouth to let him know that he could sit up, when her eyes settled on his relaxed face. He was asleep?

Slowly Aoi leaned closer, studying his grey complexion. Of course he was asleep, he must be exhausted. Aoi could not help but feel a twang of pity for the prone figure in front of her. Gently she lay her cool hand on his forehead and let her chakra wash through him. Grimacing she realized that on top of the wounds he had sustained, his body was also totally depleted of chakra.

Removing her hand, Aoi regarded the sleeping youth. She still felt the emotions emanating from him. The pain rolled of him in nauseating waves. Like a constant pulse. She felt her own heart wrench in sympathy for him. This was the one she had been so afraid to meet? The one the whole village feared and hated? This sad lonely boy?

Like everyone else, Aoi had heard of the things that he had done, the people he had killed. And like everyone else she had assumed that he had done it out of some malicious desire, but what if she had been wrong? What if he had been lashing out for a reason? Because he was alone and hurting and no-one around him cared? Aoi felt her eyes fill with tears at the thought. Monster or not, she wanted to help him. Somehow. Gently she raised her had to stroke his face, ignoring Toshi's warning bark.

Just as her fingers grazed his skin, Gaara's eyes snapped open. Before she even knew what was happening, Aoi found herself being thrown backwards from the table by a wave of sand. Slamming into the far wall, Aoi slid to the ground coughing violently as Toshi leaped from her shoulders to screech angrily at the redhead.

Sitting up and rubbing his forehead Gaara glared at the ferret as a new wave of sand moved to engulf his small body. With a startled squeak, Toshi darted back to his owner, cowering behind her hair, leaving the angry shinobi breathing laboriously.

"Go-Gomenasai G-Gaara-s-san" Aoi spluttered between coughs.

"What happened?" he rasped, glaring over at her from under his brows, hand still clutched to his forehead.

"You fell asleep while I was tending you," the medic replied as she staggered to her feet, "I'm sorry if I startled you." The young shinobi's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he grunted in response. Leaning back against the wall to regain her breath, Aoi watched him hesitantly. Squeezing his eyes shut, the Jinchūriki clutched tighter at his head. Biting her lip Aoi debated with herself for several minutes before her healer's instinct forced her to try and help. "Gaara-san are you alright?" she asked the boy tentatively.

"Fine," came the snarled reply as his fist curled in his flaming locks, tearing at their roots. On seeing the extent of his pain, all thoughts of caution were abandoned, and Aoi strode over to his side once again (much to Toshi's dismay). Reaching out to grasp his chin, Aoi found her hand blocked by a sudden wall of sand as Gaara glared up at her, agony evident in his eyes.

"Gaara-san, please," she said in a soft, soothing voice, the same one that she might use to calm a spooked horse, "I want to help you." Gaara continued to glare at her, but after several minutes the sand began to shrink back, allowing her to move her hands. Slowly she reached forward, gently placing her fingers on his temples and meeting his suspicious gaze.

"How often do you get these headaches?" she asked him softly as she examined the vicious pounding that coursed through her patient's brain.

"Enough," he answered flatly. Aoi sighed. There really wasn't much she could do for him besides numb the pain a bit. The migraine was a direct result of lack of sleep and overuse of chakra. Closing her eyes, she did what she could to alleviate his suffering before slowly pulling her hands away. Gaara continued to watch her warily, although Aoi thought that perhaps now she could see a hint of confusion reflected in the pale green of his eyes. She smiled at him sadly.

"I'm sorry I cant do more," she said sincerely, "but what you really need now is to get some rest." Gaara said nothing, instead choosing to watch her carefully as she bent down to retrieve his shirt, which she then handed to him. Accepting the item of clothing he quickly pulled it over his head, before standing and moving of to the corner of the room where he had abandoned his gourd. Once he had hoisted it onto his back he made to leave.

Looking up from the chart that she had been busy scribbling on, Aoi realized that Gaara had paused in the doorway. Frowning, she wondered what the matter was.

"Gaara-san?" she asked gently, "Is something wrong?" Gaara remained stationary, refusing even to turn and face her.

"...No," he said at last. Aoi's frown deepened. If there was nothing wrong then why was he just standing there? She had just opened her mouth to ask him another question when she was cut off by his voice. "...Thank you."

Without another word Gaara walked away, leaving a stunned girl in his wake.

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**(1) Mustelid - a member of the weasel family**

**(2) Tanuki - a raccoon dog, (this is not the same thing as a raccoon, they tend to resemble a mix between raccoons and foxes and are a member of the canine family. For further information visit and search raccoon dog)**

**Please review, constructive criticisms are especially welcome**

**Thanks for reading**

**Friglit **


	3. Chapter 2: The Siblings and the Sensei

**Hi! Sorry for the wait, I'm in the middle of exams at the minute! Anyway, hope you like it! And thanks to anyone that reviewed!**

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**Chapter 2 – The Siblings & the Sensei**

Kankuro paced around the small examination room irritably. He was tired, dirty and emotionally drained. The only thing that was kept him moving was the unbearably tense atmosphere that seemed to suffocate the village. More than anything he just wanted to go home, curl up and black out for a couple of hours. But before he could do that he had to have a pointless check up by some medic that was due over three hours ago.

Snarling his frustration he turned to face his elder sister, who was currently lounging on the examination table, a bored expression playing on her face.

"This is ridiculous!" he spat, "lets just leave!" Letting out an exasperated sigh, Temari glared at her temperamental brother. Every bit as drained as he, this was the last thing she wanted to be doing.

"Kankuro, sit down and shut up. Neither of us will be going anywhere. Baki-sensei's orders are to remain here until we have been given the all clear by a medic."

"And when is THAT going to happen?" he snapped back, "So far no-one has even worked up the nerve to be in the same room as us!" Kankuro gave a short bitter laugh, "as if death is catching!' Temari growled her annoyance, but said nothing. Kankuro had a point.

"And when someone does finally get round to seeing us you can bet it'll be some drunken, dried up old hack, because you know that there's no way any competent doctor is going to be willing to come near us!"

The puppet master was about to continue his rant when he heard the door creak open behind him. "Finally!" he snapped whirling round, "What the hell took you so..." His voice trailed off in shock as he stared at the newcomer. In front of him stood a petite girl who appeared to be no older than 15, nervously clutching two medical charts. As she walked the oversized white lab coat she wore over her clothing swished bout her knees.

Temari lifted an eyebrow as she looked over the kid in the doorway. _'Blue hair?'_ she observed in vague interest. Such a thing was an oddity in general, let alone in a dreary dessert village like Suna.

Her brother's eyes however were less focused on the female's novel hair colour and instead fixed on what looked like some kind of small furry creature curled sleeping around her neck. _'What the hell is with this girl?!' _thought Kankuro in disgust as he took in her bizarre appearance.

"Who the hell are you?" he snapped, glaring at her through narrowed eyes.

"Kankuro..." his sister warned him, but her eyes too remained on the stranger. Aoi shifted uncomfortably under the intense gazes of the siblings. With hair like hers, she was more than used to people staring at her, but these two were just… frightening…

"Umm... Hello. I'm Kimura Aoi, I'm here to give you your check ups," she smiled timidly as she bravely attempted to meet the twin glares which greeted her.

Kankuro's lip curled as he considered the peculiar kunoichi before him.

"You? Huh, please. I don't have the patience to humour a wannabe brat like you," he sneered, "Hurry up and get a real medic in here." At his statement, Aoi flushed a vibrant shade of red that clashed spectacularly with her hair.

"Kankuro's right," snorted Temari dismissively, "Find us an actual medic, then run back to mopping floors or whatever it is you do round here."

Steeling herself Aoi bit back a frustrated sigh and slowly lifted her head to meet the blonde shinobi's harsh gaze.

"Under different circumstances I would be more than happy to do that Temari-san, but I'm afraid that I am the only available medic here right now and am likely to remain so for several more hours. I realize that I am young, but I assure you I am competent. However if you insist on seeing a different medic then you are of course free to remain here until Tomasu-sensei returns tomorrow morning."

Aoi paused a moment to let her words sink in before continuing. As she spoke she made sure to keep her tone gentle and compassionate,

"I am really very sorry that you have been kept here as long as you have. I do realize that you have other more important things you need to be doing in light of the circumstances, but as I said before I am the only available medic, and I have just this moment finished seeing to your brother." Biting her lip, Aoi awaited the sibling's reactions, hoping that what she had said would be enough to convince the two prickly shinobi. Several moments silence followed her little outburst, before an angry voice lashed out.

"What!? You really mean to tell us that a kid like you was sent to deal with Gaara? What a load of crap!" Frowning, the young medic turned to face the incensed puppeteer.

"I'm sorry?" she asked the scornful youth as the small animal on her shoulders began yipping angrily at him.

"Look at you!" Kankuro snarled, an ugly look of contempt dancing over his painted features, "You wouldn't last three minutes in a room with Gaara!"

Soothing the irate animal by gently massaging his head with her fingers, Aoi watched the ninja before her with a benign expression carefully plastered on her face.

"Kankuro enough," snapped Temari shooting her grumbling brother a dark glare as he made to rant again before turning her gaze back to the young girl in front of her. "You, kid," she addressed Aoi who looked at her calmly, "you were the medic that saw to Gaara?" Aoi nodded. Temari watched her silently for a while, sizing her up. "...Is he... alright?" At this Kankuro fell silent, watching the two female ninja carefully.

"Yes. He was in pretty bad shape when I saw him... but I manage to close all his wounds and repair the internal damage. Now more than anything he just need to rest." Slowly Temari nodded, relief flicking in her eyes.

"Alright," she growled, "lets get this over with." Standing up, the blonde kunoichi nodded her permission for Aoi to approach her. Grateful that was to finally be allowed to do her job, the girl immediately set to.

* * *

The sun was setting over the desert when Aoi finally made it out of the hospital. Her furry companion had long since give up and had resorted to emptying her weapon pouch and converting it into a makeshift bed – a favourite trick of his after a long day. Pausing to lean her exhausted frame against the wall of the building, (careful not to squash Toshi's 'bedroom' in the process) she watched the sky in a weary appreciation as it became awash with a vibrant bloody red. Idly she noted that it was the exact same shade as Gaara's hair.

Closing her eyes, Aoi let out a soft sigh. Finally she was able to enjoy the peace that she had been craving all day.

A harsh voice abruptly interrupted from her daze.

"You, girl!" Jumping slightly in surprise, Aoi snapped her eyes open only to find herself confronted with a stony faced jonin wearing a grim expression on what was visible of his face - the right side being obscured by a veil.

"Who me?" she found herself asking dumbly as she stared apprehensively at the intimidating man. The ninja raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Yes, you," he growled as his single, kohl rimmed eye narrowed slightly in annoyance. "Do you work here?" Eyes widening slightly Aoi nodded.

"Y-yes, I do," she gulped as she watched the man cross his arms over his broad chest.

"Good, then you can help me," he informed her.

_'But I just got off!'_ Aoi wailed in her head as she bit her lip in frustration. One glance at her companion however, told her she didn't have much choice in the matter. Letting out an exhausted sigh, the girl let her shoulders slump in defeat.

"Of course. How can I help you?" she muttered.

"I'm looking for my students," he told her briskly, blatantly ignoring her lack of enthusiasm. Students? Wait… did that mean that this man was…

"Baki-dono?" asked Aoi hesitantly looking up at the elite ninja before her. His elegant brow arched as he regarded her coolly.

"That's correct." A tiny bit of relief flowed through the bluenette at the news. Perhaps this wouldn't be as difficult as she thought. Only a tiny bit though, after all, Baki was still a very scary man.

"Oh, well in that case I really can help you," she said as she met his penetrating gaze in a calm, clinical manner, "Temari-san and Kankuro-san were released a few hours ago after they were given the all clear after their examinations as per your request. I believe they went straight home. Gaara-san was also released after he had undergone treatment for his wounds." Breaking eye contact, the jonin turned his head to look out over the village in, what Aoi assumed, was the direction of the siblings abode.

"Very well," he murmured absently, before turning back to the young kunoichi before him. "I realise that the meeting must have left you short staffed today, tell me who was it that conducted the examinations?"

Aoi gave a mental wince at the question. She had been really hoping to avoid this question. Up until now she had been deliberately phrasing her sentences to make it sound as though some other medic had treated the three to avoid a scene like the one she had with Temari and Kankuro. A non-confrontational person at the best of times, after the emotional roller-coaster that was dealing with the siblings, the exhausting hours of paper work she had just completed and the severe drain treating Gaara had caused on her chakra reserves (not to mention the bruises from her flying episode), Aoi really did not have the energy to try to convince this man of her abilities. Letting out another heartfelt sigh, the young medic readied herself for the inevitable.

"I did sensei," Baki's eyebrow snapped down in a deep frown as he regarded the teenager in front of him.

"You?" he repeated coldly as his eyes bored holes in her skull. Aoi nodded. "Then who was it that treated Gaara?" The medic closed her eyes in exasperation.

"That would also be me sensei," she murmured wearily trying her best to ignore the intensity of the gaze he was directing at her.

"Do you expect me to believe that a genin such as yourself was sent to treat Gaara?" the man's tone suggested he found it hard to believe. Aoi pinched the bridge of her nose in vexation as she considered how best to escape this conversation.

"Baki-dono, I apologise if I have done anything inappropriate," she began, meeting his eyes placidly, her best clinical expression on her face, "but as you said, we were very short staffed and it was felt that his injuries could not wait any longer. I would not have attempted anything I felt were beyond my abilities. However if anything I have done has upset you in any way, or you have questions regarding my competence then please feel free to discuss it with Tomasu-sensei. I am after all his apprentice." Baki stared at her for several moments, an unreadable look on his face.

Aoi began to shift nervously under the intense scrutiny she was receiving, her calm facade crumbling under his gaze. After the silence had stretched for several minutes, Aoi decided that if she wanted to get home before it was completely dark she would have to say something.

"Erm… Baki-dono?" she asked meeting his gaze hesitantly, "Unless you have any further need of me, I think really ought to be going. My sister will be wondering where I have gotten to."

Silence. The jonin remained standing, arms crossed over his chest as he continued to stare at her, the same indecipherable expression on his face as the visible side of his mouth twitched slightly.

"No, that will be all," he said at last, his voice measured and cool. Nodding in relief, Aoi moved off in the direction of her home.

* * *

Baki carefully watched the young medic slip off into the dusk. He waited until she was out of sight before he let the smile he had been fighting break on his face. Lifting a hand in wonder, he traced his lips with a finger.

A smile. One of genuine amusement.

It was a small one to be certain, but it was there. He had forgotten how long it had been since someone had last made him smile. But somehow that nervous young girl had done it.

He couldn't be certain if it was the idea of someone so obviously fragile acting as an apprentice to a sadist like Tomasu, or the thought of how she somehow survived an up close encounter with a wounded – and no doubt irate – Gaara, when she couldn't even withstand one of his own glares.

_'Still,'_ he mused to himself, _'there may be more to her than meets the eye. After all, she __has__ managed to withstand Tomasu this long. And if what she said is true about Gaara… She may come in useful…'_ Slowly he let the smile drop from his lips as the memory of the recent meeting came flooding back to him. _'Kami knows we will need as many good shinobi as we can get if we want to make it out of this mess in one piece.'_

Resolving to approach Tomasu about her first thing in the morning, the jonin turned and began his journey to his students' home.

* * *

_"Toshi, what's is it?"_asked a perplexed Aoi as she watched her small friend balance precariously on her shoulder, chest puffed out and hackles raised as his tiny black nose twitching madly.

_"Why has that Neko-teme come back here?!" _snarled the ferret, _"I smell no blood. He is not hurt, so why is he here?!" _Ah, the Neko-teme. Kankuro. So that's why he was so upset. Shaking her head, Aoi knocked on the door leading to her mentor's office. Toshi had not forgiven the puppeteer for his rude behavior from a week ago and did not hesitate to make his dislike for the boy known.

_'Still,'_ she conceded silently to herself, _'he does have a point. What is Kankuro-san doing here?'_ On hearing a call to enter, she quickly shrugged her speculation away for later.

As she pushed open the door, Aoi froze momentarily as she took in the scene in front of her. There, sitting at the desk across from her sensei, was the ninja in question. Trying her best to hide her surprise, Aoi timidly walked into the room. Why was it she suddenly felt like she was about to get into trouble? On seeing the 'Neko-teme' Toshi dug his claws into her shoulder as he let out a soft grumble and eyed him warily.

"You sent for me sensei?" asked the young medic politely as she approached the desk, eyes trained on her mentor. Tomasu leaned back in his chair watching his student carefully.

"Indeed I did," he murmured as he idly stroked the neatly trimmed beard that framed his angular face. "As you know," he began as he observed her through shrewd black eyes, "the village is in a precarious position following the failed Konoha invasion and the death of the late Kazekage." Slightly confused as to where this was going, Aoi nodded hesitantly.

"In times such as these, the village needs its shinobi more than ever," slowly Tomasu leaned forward in his seat, eyes locking with Aoi's. "Team Baki have an upcoming mission; to wipe out a group of missing-nin which are plaguing a mountain village out near our southern border. However as Baki-san is unable to leave the village due to the present circumstances, it was decided that the mission would benefit most from the presence of a medical-nin in his stead." One of Tomasu's thin eyebrows arched upwards. "You have been selected to accompany them."

Aoi let out a gasp of horror as she considered what was being asked of her.

"But sensei! I haven't had a mission outside of the village for the past two years! And even then, surely with my previous mission success rates I am the last person that should be considered!"

Letting out an irritated sigh Tomasu looked down his nose at his distressed pupil.

"My dear pupil," he intoned sardonically, "As you so aptly pointed out, you have not been on a mission for years, since coming under my tutelage as it happens. All your previous mission success rates are no longer relevant as you are no longer a run of the mill kunoichi. You are a medical-ninja. My apprentice." The medic's soft tone harshened slightly as he continued. "You have a duty to your village in its hour of need, and I expect you to fulfil it without question." The bluenette hung her head in defeat.

"Gomen Tomasu-sensei. I will do my best to meet your expectations," she mumbled.

"I would hope so" he murmured leaning back in his seat once more as he inspected his perfectly manicured fingernails for dirt. "Besides which Baki-san himself requested your presence on this mission himself. Evidently you have done something to impress him. Although I couldn't imagine what you could possibly have done to win his favour."

A loud snort caused Aoi's head to snap up. Kankuro lounged in his chair, his lip curled in scorn.

"She managed to survive an encounter with Gaara, that's what" he drawled lazily, "apparently sensei wants to know if she can do the same thing twice. My money's on not." A lazy smirk flickered over his painted face as he watched the blue haired medic beside him for a reaction.

_"Shut your trap you face-painted freak, or I'll make sure you won't be able to have children!" _barked an enraged Toshi from his perch on Aoi's shoulder. Kankuro gave the small animal a look of irritated contempt as Toshi continued to chatter at him unintelligibly.

"Hmm, knowing Baki-san, you're probably correct," agreed Tomasu thoughtfully. "Still whatever his reasons, you have been assigned to go Aoi. While doubtless you are going to embarrass me somehow, I ask that you do try not to do anything too foolish, as difficult as I realise that may be for you."

"Yes Sensei," the girl answered obediently, long since used to her sensei's insulting mannerisms.

Aoi gave a muffled squeak as Toshi small sharp claws bit through the thin fabric of her top and into the soft flesh of her shoulder. Leaning even further forward, the infuriated mustelid launched off on a enraged tirade of high pitched chattering.

"Whatever," muttered Kankuro as he stood up and walked to the door. "I have to get going. We're heading off first thing tomorrow. Meet us by the village gates," he called idly over his shoulder as he let himself out.

"I think that concludes this little discussion of ours," noted Tomasu dryly, "you are dismissed Aoi. You may take the rest of the day off to prepare for your mission."

"Thank you sensei," the bluenette replied with a respectful inclination of her head. Toshi's response however, was decidedly less respectful. After the small animal had at last ended his profanity laced farewell of the puppeteer by poking his tongue from between his teeth in a decidedly human gesture, he had taken it upon himself to turn his attention to the head medic.

A look of panic flickering over her face, Aoi desperately tried to convince the ferret to quieten down before Tomasu was irritated into doing it himself – no doubt by much less pleasant methods (he was not a man known for his patience). Noting the increasing look of annoyance on her mentor's face, the girl quickly wrapped a hand around Toshi's muzzle, temporarily muting the now thrashing and growling little beast.

"Oh and Aoi?" called the jonin as his student hastily made to exit, battling with her noisy companion as she went. The young medic turned around to face her mentor expectantly as she desperately tried to keep hold of the wriggling animal in her arms. "Do try not to get yourself killed. Considering the amount of time that I have already been forced to waste on you, it would be troublesome to have to go to the effort of training a new apprentice from scratch," he drawled. The girl suppressed a smile.

"I'll do my best sensei."


	4. Chapter 3: The Mission

**Arg! Sorry for taking so long to update! I blame it on a mixture of writer's block and exam stress! But that's over now so hopefully I'll be updating far more regularly! **

**Anyway, as an apology for the ridiculously long wait, here is an extra long chapter. **

**Sorry, I know this is a little jumpy in places – truth be told I'm not 100 happy with it, but I was getting frustrated going over it so I thought I'd just go ahead and post it.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Mission**

The rays of the early morning sun shone down on Aoi as she sat patiently by the gates awaiting her team mates. Not knowing when exactly they were to be heading off, she had turned up early so as not to risk being left behind. She had arrived just as the dawn was breaking, which meant she had been sitting here for - Aoi's teal eyes flickered upwards to check the position of the sun - two hours already and still no sign of her team. Leaning backwards against the gateway, the girl let her heavy lids slid shut in exasperation.

Slowly Aoi's hand crept up to rest lightly on the pouch that Toshi currently occupied (she had thankfully managed to procure another one for him to use during the mission rather then have him emptying her weapons one all the time). As she felt the stiff fabric raise and fall gently with the small animal's steady breathing, she felt a slight pang of jealousy. But then she supposed that one of them at least should be able to get some sleep, after all there was no sense in them both suffering just to appease a petulant puppet master.

As much as she would like to think the best of him, Aoi was not a fool. It seemed a little too suspicious to her that Kankuro had been the one to pass on incomplete information about the meeting time. Not to mention that it seemed just a little too likely that he would take pleasure in making her life as hard as possible, particularly since he had no problem with letting her know how little he liked her.

Letting out a deep sigh, the young medic couldn't help but wonder why it was the puppeteer seemed to have taken so completely against her. Had she done something to upset him? Shaking her head, she shrugged the problem, aside. She supposed she would just have to do her best not to antagonise him on the mission.

"What are you doing here?" the soft voice from behind her jerked her out of her musings. Letting out a small squeak of surprise, Aoi turned to face the speaker.

Gaara stood a few meters away, arms folded across his chest as he gazed at her coolly.

"Oh, hello again Gaara-san," said Aoi cheerily as she did her best to ignore the familiar wave of emotion that washed over her in his presence. She was relieved to note that the intensity of the sensation had decreased somewhat since the first encounter, obviously the shinobi was feeling distinctly calmer than he had been before. But they were still there, simmering away under his detached mask.

"I asked a question," his cold eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke. Aoi blinked up at him in confusion.

"Wha- oh! Why am I here? I'm the medic that is to be accompanying you on your mission. I was waiting for everyone else to arrive," she explained to him pleasantly, as she internally prayed that he would not take issue with her presence.

"We are not meeting for another hour. Why are you here so early?" Aoi did her best to stifle her dejected sigh. Looking up at the expectant red-head, Aoi quickly flashed a false smile.

"Oh... well I wasn't told the exact time we would be meeting," she explained, "So I thought I'd better get here early just incase."

"I see," muttered the Jinchuriki as he turned away from the young medic. Aoi glanced up in surprise.

"Gaara-san? Where are you going?" she asked with a small frown. Pausing only to give his fellow genin a disinterested glance, Gaara vanished in a swirl of sand.

Letting out a soft sigh, Aoi pondered what had brought the redhead out here in the first place. Shrugging, the girl closed her eyes and continued her wait.

* * *

Raising a dirty hand, Aoi wiped the sweat dripping down her brow as she continued doggedly on. They had been running for hours. She was hot sweaty and tired. Sparing a glance at her team mates, the medic was dismayed to note that they still looked relatively fresh.

Gritting her teeth, she put her head down and persevered. No matter how tired she was, she vowed that she would not complain. Apart form anything else it was Temeri that was leading this mission and she was not the kind of person you bothered with frivolities such as exhaustion.

Sensing the weariness of his companion from his usual perch on her shoulders, Toshi leaned forward to offer her some comfort. The ferret began nuzzling her ear in a consoling manner as he muttered softly about suitable ways to punish the 'Neko-teme'. That brought a smile to the bluenette's tired lips.

Not that she was about to condone Toshi's plot to litter Kankuro's bedroll with mouse carcasses, but the thought did make her feel better. After all, were it not for him, she wouldn't have been up since the crack of dawn and hence not so exhausted now. All possibility of the omission being a genuine mistake had ceased the moment Aoi had seen the vindictive smirk on the puppeteer's face when he had (finally) arrived that morning in the company of his siblings.

The girl's eyes flickered to the horizon and locked onto the sinking sun. Not long until dark. Hopefully that would mean they would be stopping soon to make camp. Providing of course Temari did not decide to continue on through the night. Kami only knows how Aoi would cope if she did.

As if reading her thoughts, the blonde kunoichi slowed to a halt, indicating for the others to follow suit as she did so. Trying her best not to let out an audible sigh of relief and collapse to the ground, Aoi did as she was bid.

"It looks like there might be a sand storm on its way," said Temari as she studied the horizon before them. "There are some caves up ahead that we can shelter in. If we hurry we should get there before dark." Noting the nods of agreement from the team, Temari signaled for them to follow her and took off in the direction of the caves

* * *

Temari's weather reading turning out to be accurate, the team reached the caves only moments before the storm hit. Holing themselves up in their sanctuary with the aid of one of Gaara's sand barriers, the four ninja set about making camp.

Some time later found the team huddled around the meager fire they had managed to construct to ward of the chill of the desert night, using the small left over scraps of wood that had littered the cave from previous visitors.

Reclining comfortably along Aoi's shoulders. Toshi watched as the humans ate their meager meal of cold rice balls and tea. Not something that he found particularly appetizing himself. Ears pricking up at the sound of scuttling emanating from the back of the cave, the ferret licked his lips as he considered more enticing food. Quickly barking an explanation to his blue haired friend, Toshi bounded of to catch his own meal.

Chuckling at her small cohort's excitement, Aoi glanced around at her other companions as she finished the last of her dinner.

Temari had spread her giant battle fan across the ground in front of her and appeared to be doing something with a bottle of greasy liquid and a cloth – either polishing or oiling, Aoi wasn't sure. Kankuro had followed his sister's suit and was seeing to his own weapon - the youth had pulled out tools and had begun tinkering with the large, ugly puppet's joints.

Gaara alone out of the three siblings did not appear to be preparing his weapons, _'But then again'_ Aoi conceded, _'how __would__ you prepare sand for battle?'_

Instead the redhead sat staring broodilly into the small dancing flames before him, legs crossed and hands curled in his lap. On seeing his preoccupation, Aoi decided to take the chance to covertly study him.

The golden glow of the fire reflected in his intense eyes and changed his pale skin to a warm bronze, causing the intimidating shinobi to appear more human somehow. With mild interest, the bluenette noted that his tousled red hair also appeared darker in the flickering light. With a light frown, Aoi glanced over to where Kankuro was sitting – the puppet master had removed his cat-eared hood whilst he worked, revealing his own shock of messy brown hair.

For the first time, Aoi was struck with the physical similarity between the two brothers. It was a well known fact that Kankuro, underneath his hood and face paint, held a strong likeness to his father, the late fourth Kazekage, but as far as Aoi was aware, no-one had ever mentioned Gaara baring a family resemblance. And yet when you really looked, there was no denying it. Yes, his features were slightly finer than his brother's, and like his elder sister he possessed pale green eyes rather than dark brown, but the semblance was still uncanny. Aoi began to wonder why no-one ever spoke about it.

_'Could it really be just because no-one wants to draw similarities between the Kazekage and a Jinchuriki?'_

As much as the idea appalled her, the bluenette couldn't help but feel she was right. Shaking her head at people's folly, she returned her gaze to the impassive redhead before her, taking in his lean muscular frame, clearly visible through his black t-shirt.

_'He really is quite handsome,' _the medic realized with a start, causing a hot blush to creep over her face. _'It's just a shame he's not more... approachable'_ she thought wryly as she noted the typical eerily impassive expression on his face.

Shaking her head to rid herself of her musings, Aoi dismissed her idle observations. Resolving to put her free time to more productive use, the bluenette turned instead to rummage in her bag for her medial textbook. On finding it, the young medic settled herself down into a more comfortable position and flipped the book open at a chapter she had marked near the middle headed 'Experimental Techniques'. Shifting closer to the warmth of the small fire, Aoi began her studying.

She had been reading for approximately thirty minutes when a sated Toshi returned with a bulging stomach and blood stained whiskers. Liking his lips the mustelid lazily observed his human frowning at her book. Realising no attention would be forthcoming anytime soon, he (grudgingly) settled on taking a nap to help digest his meal instead.

Absorbed as she was in a particularly complicated section regarding rapid cellular re-growth, the girl was only dimly aware of the ferret clambering over her in a bid to get to his pouch. Slowly turning the page, Aoi continued her reading.

A sudden loud curse echoing around the cave abruptly broke the silence and dragged the bluenette back to reality. Blinking in shock the girl glanced wildly about for the source of the noise.

Eventually her eyes – along with everyone else's – fell on Kankuro as he lurched hurriedly to his feet, hurtling a kunai for the shadows to his immediate left as he did so. An angry hiss informed him that he had missed his intended target. Lips peeling back in an irritated snarl, the puppeteer reached in his pouch for another blade as the shadow rippled to reveal a snake. Tongue lashing in and out of its mouth furiously the serpent seemed to regard him for a moment before lunging to strike lightning fast for his foot.

Reacting at a speed only a ninja could, Kankuro danced backwards at threw his kunai at the reptile's head. A smile flickered over his face as he watched his weapon race towards the animal as it franticly tried to dodge, confident that it would not be fast enough.

The flash of firelight glinting on metal in the corner of his eye, caused the shinobi's head to whip round just on time to see a slim needle fly past his shoulder. Following its trajectory, the boy watched as the small weapon raced forwards, colliding with his own and sending both spinning harmlessly of track.

"What the..?"

Shocked, Kankuro span round to find who had been stupid enough to stop his blow. He found himself confronted with a highly agitated Aoi moving swiftly in his direction.

"Kankuro-san, stop! Please allow me to deal with this!" she called as she darted past him and knelt by the incensed serpent. The youth's face pulled down in a confused scowl as he watched the girl and snake staring at each other, the later hissing softly now and again.

_"Please calm yourself little one. I mean you no harm," _cautiously the serpent lifted its head to stare at the girl before him with intelligent black eyes.

"_You sspeak?"_ it hissed in surprise, its voice decidedly feminine. Aoi smiled.

_"I speak,"_ she confirmed.

The snake's head swayed back and forth, its tongue darting in and out as it considered this.

_"How i__ss it that a human can talk?"_

_"I am not like most humans," _as she spoke, Aoi watched in fascination as the firelight played over the animal's patterned scales, changing the brown to a gleaming reddish bronze.

_"You do not ssee__m ass foolish ass most of your breed," _snake conceded after a moments deliberation. Aoi let out a soft chuckle. It had been a while since she had last spoken with a snake. She had forgotten how haughty they were.

_"Tell me little one, if I am not mistaken, __you are not one of our usual desert snakes."_ she asked with a slight frown.

_"__Of coursse I am not one of your lowly desert breedss! I am a mamushi **(1)**, the mosst intelligent of all sserpentss!" _the affronted reptile informed her. Suppressing a smile Aoi inclined her head apologetically.

_"Forgive me little one, I meant no offence. I am unlearned in the way of your kindred, but even an ignorant human like me can hear the truth in your words,"_ she soothed the ruffled serpent.

Somewhat mollified, the snake let out an agreeable hiss and raised her head proudly.

_"But how is it then that you came to be in this cave?"_ the medic asked him curiously. Lowering her head immediately, the snake's tongue began to flick in and out of her mouth rapidly, as she rattled a sound of distress.

_"I wass carried here by one of your imprudent kin," __s_he hissed irritably, _"it wass cold in my home forest and I had sslithered into hiss pack sseeking warmth and fell asleep. When I awoke I wass here and the foolish creature wass shrieking and throwing objectss at me." _The snake lifted her head to glare over Aoi's shoulder at Kankuro. _"Much like that one," s_he paused to offer the puppet master a warning hiss before continuing.

_"I am unssuited to ssuch an unforgiving environment and sso I cannot cross the desert and return to my home. I am trapped here. I would have perished before now were it not for the rodentss which infesst this cave."_

Aoi smiled sadly at the reptile.

"_Well little one, I cannot promise to return you to your home, but if you wish it, I will happily carry your out of the dessert. My companions and I are traveling to a mountain village, I am sure you would find the mountainside forests to your liking."_ Lifting her head, the snake eyed the medic suspiciously.

_"You would do __thiss__ for me? Why?" s_he asked, her tone wary. Stifling a sigh at the animal's mistrust, Aoi offered her a comforting smile.

_"It is the least I can__ do to apologize for the actions of my companion," _she tried, mentally crossing her fingers in the hopes that it would be enough to appease the snake. After all, she could not in good conscience leave her here to inevitably starve to death. The snake considered this for a moment, before finally dipping her head in acquisition.

_"Very well," _she hissed in a magnanimous tone, _"I will accept your apology and allow you to carry me from thiss place."_

Eyes sparkling with laughter, Aoi grinned at the serpent. Yes it really had been too long since she had last spoken with a snake. Biting back a laugh, she lowered her arm for her to climb on.

_"I thank you my friend__. Now come and warm yourself by the fire while I explain to my companions. I will make sure they do not harm you, but in return you must promise to stay away form them."_ Readily hissing her agreement the snake quickly slithered up onto the proffered arm.

Once she was sure the reptile had a firm grip, the bluenette stood upright. Turning to walk back to her seat Aoi found herself under the intense scrutiny of her team mates. Even Gaara looked mildly curious.

Blushing madly, Aoi avoided their gazes as she returned to her seat and make quick introductions between the snake and Toshi – who had awoken with all the commotion. Once she had finished Aoi took a deep calming breath before lifting her head to face her team mates as the serpent coiled contently in front of the dancing flames.

"Umm, I suppose you would like an explanation?" she asked hesitantly.

"Explanation!? Yeah, how about you explain what the hell is going on!?" exploded an enraged Kankuro. Growling at him to shut up, Temari faced the cringing medic.

"Start explaining," she commanded firmly.

"Hai, Temari-san," Aoi bit her lip as she considered how best to start. After a moment she turned to face the still incensed puppeteer and bowed low, "Gomen Kankuro-san, but I couldn't just stand there and let you kill the snake. She means no harm to us. It is unlikely she would even have attacked you had you not thrown your kunai at her."

"How the hell could you possible know what it would have done? And what was I supposed to do? Leave a poisonous reptile to slither into our bedrolls while we are sleeping? Stop being an idiot and let me kill it!" he snarled in reply.

"No she wont I promise you!" pleaded the kunoichi.

"What makes you so certain?" inquired Temeri, her tone serious. Dropping her gaze, Aoi began to fidget uncomfortably.

"I… ah… spoke to her, she assured me she wouldn't…" she mumbled shyly. Kankuro snorted his disbelief, causing Aoi to flush bright red as she hung her head.

Slowly Temari's eyes flickered from the blushing medic, to her oddly intelligent ferret, before finally settling on the suddenly tame snake coiled at the girl's feet.

"Start from the beginning," she ordered. Swallowing nervously Aoi nodded slowly.

"I suppose I ought to have mentioned my genkai before we left," she began hesitantly, "only I didn't really think it was going to be relevant so I didn't bother." The bluenette's fidgeting increased. "It… um, gives me a kind of bond with animals, I suppose. It lets me talk to them amongst other things."

Temari raised her eyebrow as she watched the younger female squirm in front of her. As far as genkais go, this was certainly one of the more obscure ones. The blonde considered it for a time.

_'And not the most useful one either,'_ she though dryly to herself. Still, she supposed it suited the meek bluenette.

"If it's a clan genkai, then why haven't we heard about it before now?" she asked.

"Oh," said Aoi as she raised her teal eyes to meet Temari's gaze, "I guess that's because I got it from my father. He wasn't from Suna you see. Actually I don't know where he was from. He left before I was born and Mother never spoke to me about him." The girl shrugged and looked away.

"So why don't you just ask her?" questioned Kankuro, a look of scorn obvious on his face. The medic suddenly became very interested in the snake at her feet.

"My mother died on a mission back when I was still in the academy. It's just me and my elder sister Kin now. I'm not sure if Kin knows anymore than I do about it, but we have different fathers so I don't really see why she should." Staring fixedly at the reptile the way she was, Aoi missed the flicker of surprise which moved across Temari's face at the mention of her sister's name. "Besides, Nee-san doesn't particularly like talking about my genkai. She thinks it's a useless ability and that I waste too much time with it as it is."

"She's right," snorted Kankuro as he threw himself down on his bedroll. Aoi's blush deepened.

"Its late and we have an early start tomorrow. We should get some sleep," advised Temeri distractedly as she still stewed over the nights revelations. Happy that the conversation was over, Aoi complied eagerly.

A few moments later found Aoi and Toshi snuggled into her sleeping bag (the snake having commandeered the pouch). As her lids were beginning to droop, the young medic noticed a figure still sitting by the fire.

Gaara.

He sat perfectly still as he gazed into the burning depths of the flames. He had been predictably quiet through the whole conversation, Aoi wasn't even sure if he had been paying any attention. As she watched him, the kunoichi considered calling out to ask why he was not resting, but a larger part of her was more interested in the blackness that was rapidly claiming her. As her weary eyes slid closed, her last sight was of the stoic redhead, his fine features illuminated in the golden glow of the fire.

* * *

Aoi gazed through the large window at the wonderful mountain landscape before her.

After a rude awakening – Aoi had awoken to find Kankuro chasing Toshi around with a kunai in one hand and a wet sandal in the other (that smelled suspiciously of ferret urine) – team Baki had started off in the direction of the destined village. The four of them had made good time, arriving approximately an hour previously, which had given Aoi plenty of time to release her newest charge in the dense mountain forests. Aoi hoped that it would be suited to her needs.

Absorbed in her worry for the reptile, it took a few moments for the medic to realise that she was being spoken too.

"Aoi!" the irritated voice soon dragged her from her thoughts. Turning, the teenager's eyes widened as she realised that she was the focus of attention for all the room's occupants. Swallowing nervously she shot Temari a desperate look. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, the older female turned to the overdressed, overweight, middle aged man who had asked the initial question.

"I assure you," she growled menacingly at him, as though daring him to disagree with what she was about to say, "Aoi is highly competent. She is the personal apprentice of our village's head medic." The man took one wide eyed glance at Temari's stony face and decided not to argue further.

"Oh, that's, ah… wonderful," tried the village headman nervously eyeing the terrifying blonde. Turning his piggy eyes to the blue haired girl before him, he began to scrutinize her carefully. "In that case we were wondering if we may borrow her services form you? We have civilians that were wounded form the bandit's last raid on the village." Temeri nodded briskly.

"Of course. That was her purpose in coming," turning to pin the younger female with a firm glare she issued her orders, "Aoi, you stay here and do what you can for the civilians. The rest of us will go on ahead to deal with the missing-nin. If we haven't returned by the time you are finished then catch up with us." Aoi bowed her head to indicate her obedience.

"Good!" exclaimed the fat official, a queasy smile plastered on his face, "Then let us waste no more time. My men need seeing too and I am sure you are eager to be off!" Slowly lumbering to his feet he made an impatient gesture at Aoi. "This way girl."

Suppressing her flicker of annoyance at his patronising manner, the young medic rose and followed him out of the room.

* * *

It was several hours later when Aoi finally managed to extract herself from the condescending village head. Over the time she had been forced to heal everything from stab wounds to bunions as the entire village (or so it seemed to the young medic) had queued up to ask for her expertise. Apparently the official had no scruples with abusing Aoi's kind nature and had quickly spread the word that there was a healer in town.

It wasn't particularly that Aoi minded putting her talents to use, particularly when she noted that many of these people were too poor to seek aid elsewhere. Nor did any of the healings take up much chakra – even the skirmish wounds that she had initially been brought to heal were relatively easy to fix, but the shear quantity of them made the exercise more draining and time consuming than she was comfortable with. Especially considering her true purpose on this mission was to ensure the safety of her team mates, a duty she was shirking by remaining in the village.

Not to mention the pompous nature of her chaperone was driving her round the bend.

Still she felt she couldn't really turn them away when they asked for her help, so consoling herself with the knowledge that she was doing good and that her team – who were far more competent ninja's than she would ever even dream of becoming, would more than likely have little use for her out in the field anyway.

However as the day wore on and her team mates still did not return Aoi began to feel uneasy. After seeing her last patient, the medic debated the sense in heading out to find the others straight away (this idea was much encouraged by Toshi, who was all for abandoning the others and remaining in the comfort and safety of the village). However in the end her unease won and she chose to head out without stopping for a break first, her disgruntled little friend wrapped securely around her throat, complaining all the while.

Aoi lost track of time as she followed the trail left for her by her team, with Toshi occasionally changing her direction with a soft bark in her ear as he caught lingering scents on the wind. A short while after the fourth such bark, Toshi stood upright, ears pricked and nose twitching madly. Frowning, Aoi was about to question his behaviour when the faint, but unmistakeable sounds of battle whispered by her ear on a stray breeze.

_"Toshi?"_ The ferret ducked his head in affirmation of the unasked question.

_"Yeah, its them," _lifting his head the small animal scented the air, carefully dissecting the barrage of aroma's that filtered in through his nostrils. _"From the smell of it Neko-teme, Boss-lady and Demon-boy are all up ahead with four others I don't recognise. And there's one hell of a battle going on. The air's thick with chakra and blood."_ Aoi winced visibly on hearing the last part. Biting her lip as anxiety clawed at her gut, the medic considered her options.

On one hand she was no fighter. She had no illusions about that fact. She was a healer who abhorred violence. Under normal circumstances she would be more then happy to stay clear of the battle, confident in her team's abilities and very aware of the fact that she would most likely just get in the way if she tried to help. But she was increasingly beginning to think that this was _not _normal circumstances. After all hadn't Toshi just said the air smelled of blood? What if one of them was hurt?

_"Leave them,"_ advised a soft voice by her ear. _"We're not fighters. That's __their__ job. Wait until the fight's over. Then if there's anyone left alive you can go and fix 'em." _The ferret gave out the strange growling noise that he seemed to use for a laugh as he began to playfully bat at her hair, _"maybe if we're lucky they'll all kill each other off!"_

_"Toshi!"_ Aoi admonished in a horrified tone. _"We can't just leave them!"_ Biting her lip, the blue haired-nin turned to scan the foliage before her nervously. _"We have to go, they may need our help."_ Ignoring Toshi's bark of disagreement, Aoi desperately tried to think of a plan. It was all very well to declare that she would help her comrades, but how? At times like this she couldn't help but wish she was more like her prodigal sister. She bet that Kin would know exactly what to do in this kind of situation…

An abrupt hiss startled Aoi from further indulgence in her misery.

_"At lasst I have found you_," a familiar voice hissed from beneath her. Jumping slightly in surprise, the young medic dropped her gaze to the irritated snake by her feet.

_"Little one?"_ she gasped recognising the particular pattern of black and bronze bands across the head as the same as those of her reptilian friend. A small smile lit her worried face as she gazed at her. Despite the bad timing she was glad to see her. And apparently she was not the only one. Cheekily butting her head out of his way, Toshi leaned out over her shoulder to chirrup a greeting of his own.

Letting out an impatient hiss the viper lifted its head and met Aoi's wide eyes with its own beady black ones.

_"We do not have time to waste," _it told her haughtily, _"your humanss are in trouble. Two of them are fighting outnumbered, and the ssilent one iss trapped in hiss own battle. They require our help."_

The girl blinked at the snake's statement, unease quickly spreading through her. A sudden thought crossed her mind.

_"Did you say they need __our__ help?" _she asked in surprise. The reptile flickered its tongue smugly.

_"Yess, friend. You ssaved me from the cave. Now in return I will help you ssave your humanss. Thiss will clear my debt to you."_ Aoi's smile widened at the small creature's offer. Leaning down, she whispered her thanks to the mamushi and offered it her arm. Once she was certain that the snale was securely wound around her forearm, the bluenette straightened and began to swiftly make her way to her comrades.

Knowing that he had long since lost his argument, Toshi let out one final wail of protest, as he steadied himself on the medic's shoulders, nervously awaiting what was to come.

* * *

Aoi and her passengers moved silently along the forest floor, the ninja's teal eyes locked on the clearing before her. The clash of metal on metal rang out from the centre of it, punctuated here and there by loud grunts and mocking taunts. As she neared, Aoi caught sight of the cause of the noises between the thick trunks of the trees.

Dripping sweat, clothing torn and spattered with blood, a clearly exhausted Temari and Kankuro stood back to back, each brandishing their chosen weapon and carefully eyeing their opponents. The pair faced off against four enemy shinobi - two apiece. The siblings may be strong, but apparently the difference in numbers was beginning to take its toll on the Suna-nin.

Eyes flickering desperately, the medic could find no sign of Gaara anywhere. Firmly pushing aside the fear caused by the redhead's absence, Aoi focused on the situation a hand. Rescuing his siblings.

After a quick, silent exchange the medic and her companions formulated a plan. Moving as close to the clearing as she dared without being seen, the bluenette released the snake into the undergrowth before carefully moving round the clearing so that she was facing Kankuro. Silently moving into position, the medic slipped two senbon out of her weapons case and awaited her signal.

* * *

Brandishing her battle fan threateningly in front of her Temari kept her gave focused on the two grinning shinobi before her. Her breath was tearing from her throat in ragged pants and exhausted tremors had begun to ripple through her muscles. She was reaching her limit.

She didn't even need to glance behind her to know her younger brother was in a similar state.

_'Damn it all!'_ she snarled in her mind as she narrowed her eyes at her opponents. After the long battle her chakra reserves were running dangerously low, a situation which - thanks to their double teaming, her enemies did not share. Things were getting desperate.

A sharp grunt of pain from Kankuro caused the kunoichi to clench her jaw in fury. If they wanted to get out of this alive they needed back up and fast.

_'Where the hell is Gaara?'_

A unexpected shriek of pain dragged her thoughts back to the problem at hand. Body tensing Temari watched in wary bewilderment as the missing-nin to her left dropped to the ground clutching at his leg, screaming at his confused partner for aid. Mystified, the kunoichi's frown deepened. What the hell was going on? Was this some kind of diversion..?

A sudden movement in her peripheral vision caused her head to whip round. She felt her eyes widen in shock as a frighteningly familiar snake leisurely made its way from the fallen man. As though it could feel her gaze, the pit viper suddenly lifted its banded head and turned to face her. After a moments silence, the beast hissed something that felt strangely like a greeting before continuing on its way.

A sudden ripple of amusement ran through the ninja as she watched the retreating reptile. Apparently help had arrived after all. Just not from the team mate she had been expecting. Making a mental note to thank Aoi for sending the beast to her aid, Temari turned back to face the single standing shinobi, trusting the snake venom to finish of the other.

Gathering up the last of her reserves, the blonde ninja moved into a battle stance. On seeing the bloodthirsty gleam in the woman's eyes, the missing-nin paled visibly. Temari allowed herself a smile.

Things were looking up.

* * *

As soon as she had heard the commotion from Temari's side of the clearing, Aoi had let her senbon fly. The slim needles had flown silent and true to their mark, piercing the skin of the ninja closest to her in the base of the neck. The medic watched in satisfaction as the man crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap, adding to the overall confusion.

Recognising the slim needles in the felled man's neck as the same that Aoi carried, Kankuro wasted no time in using the missing-nin's confusion to his advantage. Smirking broadly, the puppeteer pressed home his attack.

After a few moments of observing the battle Aoi decided that her help was no longer required. Apparently an evening up of numbers was all that had been required to tilt the battle in the puppet master's favour.

A sudden brown flash streaked from the undergrowth and up her body to settle on her shoulder. Smiling slightly Aoi raised her hand to caress Toshi's head.

_"We're good over the other side. Our reptilian friend took out one and the Boss-lady is tearing the other a new…"_

_"Thanks Toshi!"_ the medic interrupted quickly, not at all interested to find out how the ferret had been planning on finishing that sentence.

Now that she had taken care of the immediate problem, Aoi found her mind drawn back to her initial worry – where was Gaara? Why had he not been participating in the battle? Swallowing back her fear, Aoi calmed herself and began to search for his chakra pattern.

There.

She could feel his signature to the left of the clearing. The anxiety the medic had been trying to control came back in fool force. Gaara's chakra was spiking like crazy. Clearly something was wrong. Eyes snapping open, the medic turned and sped towards the Jinchuriki.

As she drew close, Aoi was assaulted by angry lashes of intense emotion. Wincing at the almost physical pain they caused as they raked against her mind, the girl hesitantly made her way towards the hunched figure.

The redhead sat on his knees. His body crouched forwards as his pale fingers tore at the flaming locks in his scalp. Eyes screwed shut the boy rocked back and forth, his face contorted in pain. Recognising the pose as the same one she had seen in the examination room during their first encounter, Aoi moved closer.

"Gaara-san?" she called softly to him as she moved quickly to his side, ignoring Toshi's protesting barks. Kneeling beside him she inspected his pale sweaty face with a frown.

"Gaara?" she tried again, still getting no response. Hovering uncertainly, the medic debated what to do. She wanted to help him, but she had no desire to repeat her flying episode. Biting her lip, Aoi stared uncertainly at the boy before her. The sudden strangled snarl of pain that escaped his lips made up her mind.

Hesitantly, the medic raised her hands and placed them gently on the side of his head, squeezing her own eyes closed as she did so and preparing herself for a wave of sand to send her flying. When no injury was forth coming, the girl stifled a sigh of relief and began to probe her patient's mind with her chakra.

A worried frown crossed Aoi's face as she examined the mess of Gaara's mind. She had been wrong, this was nothing like the last headache. Unease began to ripple through her as she examined the shredded chakra pathways that laced through the Jinchuriki's brain. It almost looked like something had raked sharp claws through his mind, tearing at his very sanity.

Pushing aside the disturbing thought, Aoi let her chakra flow out, numbing the shinobi's pain as she began to fuse the tattered pathways back together. As she worked, Aoi let her consciousness slip farther into Gaara's being as she followed the damaged pathways deeper into the recesses of his mind. The further she went, the worse the damage became and the harder it was for her to rectify.

Even more puzzling, as she delved deeper and deeper, the young medic began to notice that the chakra had began to take on a rusty hue… like the colour of dried blood… Aoi felt her unease mount, but she stubbornly continued on as she searched for the source of the damage.

_**"Let me out brat!"**_ the deep rumbling voice echoed out from the darkened depths ahead of her. Aoi shuddered on hearing the sinister tone of the demand. Despite the fear that laced through her being, the medic could not help but be pulled down the shredded chakra line towards the blackness.

_**"You dare defy me!?"**_the dark voice snarled again, closer this time. _**"Let me out! GIVE ME BLOOD!" **_The last sentence was a full throated roar that tore through Aoi's mind like a searing desert wind. The fear finally succeeded in overriding the intoxicating curiosity that had dragged her this far. Terrified, the medic turned to flee back the way she had come.

"_I said no, demon_!" rasped a familiar tone, stopping her in her tracks. "_I am through giving you what you want_."

Gaara? Slowly Aoi turned back towards the darkness a look of indecision written on her face.

Another sudden roar sent a lance of pain through Aoi's mind once again. A soft groan told her that she was not the only one.

The worry that had previously been plaguing the medic rose to the surface of her turbulent emotions once again. Hesitantly Aoi moved forwards, closer to the blackness.

"Gaara-san?" she called out softly, her voice echoing around her as though she were in a cave. At her call, the other two voices immediately fell silent. Anxiety gnawing at her insides, the girl continued her slow advance towards the waiting blackness.

As she reached its surface an evil chuckle reverberated around her. Eyes widening, Aoi suddenly found herself lurching forwards into the inky mass before her. Squeezing her eyes shut in terror, the medic desperately tried to pull herself back as the blackness flowed into her ears and nostrils like water, drowning her while it swept her along in a fast current to an unknown destination.

Then abruptly, the sensation stopped, jerking Aoi to a halt.

Dimly she realised that she was on her hands and knee's as she sucked in hot dry air, ignoring the burning sensation it caused in her throat and lungs. As her breathing slowed, her mind gradually began to stop its spinning and think rationally. Slowly cracking her eyes open, the medic lifted her head to check her surroundings.

Terror shot through her as she found herself gazing up into two colossal, bloodthirsty eyes.

"I see you," the beast rumbled.

* * *

**(1) **_**mamushi – **_**this is the common name for the Japanese pit viper.**

**Please review! As always constructive criticism is encouraged – now more than ever as I no longer have a beta to keep me right!**


	5. Chapter 4: Shukaku

**Not as long this time, but it was either that or else I wouldn't be able to update until next week, and it seemed a little mean to leave you on a cliff hanger that long! XD**

**Oh and you may have noticed that I seem to be writing a fair bit of Temari and Kankuro's POV lately. You can expect more of that- I just have so much fun writing them, they are such awesome characters!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Shukaku**

Aoi was only dimly aware of the hot sand beneath her sandaled feet and the huge cavern walls that surrounded her, as she stared at the monstrosity before her.

The colossal tan beast gazed down at her from behind huge bars made of the same reddened sand that filled Gaara's gourd. Idly swishing his huge, racoon-like tail, the tanuki considered the miniature intruder that stood before his cage. Eyes glinting with sinister amusement, the beast lowered his head, bringing his muzzle down to the girl's level.

"**Oh, what's this**?" he mused to himself, his voice a rough growl that reverberated through Aoi's bones, "**a little lost pup?"**

Frozen in fear, the bluenette could do nothing more than stand rooted to the spot as the demon's fetid breath blasted her with the nauseating scent of blood baking on hot sand.

Sensing her terror, Shukaku let out a rumbling laugh.

Aoi's eyes widened in horror as she watched Shukaku took a few lumbering steps towards her, stopping only when the bars would permit him to go no further. Once again lowering his head, the tanuki's fearsome muzzle was scant inches from her body as he spoke.

"**Come here, little pup**," he crooned to her, "**come closer to my cage**." The girls gaze remained fixated on the wickedly sharp teeth that lined the massive mouth. The waves of emotion that rolled of the beast sent ripples of panic racing through her mind. A terrible mixture of bloodlust, frustration and amusement assaulted her senses as the fiend watched her through black ringed eyes.

The medic felt her heartbeat triple as her body reacted to the danger with its most primitive defence mechanism, pumping adrenalin around her system as it prepared itself for fight or flight.

"What are you doing here?" The cold voice snapped her from her terror induced stupor. Head whipping round to her left, Aoi felt a wave of relief run through her as she found herself staring into Gaara's icy sea-foam eyes. The Jinchuriki wore an irate frown as he glared at the girl before him, radiating confused anger.

"Leave now," he demanded impassively, only his narrowed eyes betraying his true feeling. Aoi shot him a desperate look.

_'Leave?! I would __love__ too, but __how__?!' _she wailed silently, her eyes pleading the Jinchuriki to help her.

**"Silence brat!"** roared an infuriated Shukaku, his head snapping round to Gaara's direction, large black ears pressed flat against his skull and lips peeled back in a ferocious snarl, **"who are you to deny me my prey when it wanders so willingly into my den?"**

The explosion of rage was almost enough to force Aoi to her knees as she felt herself overwhelmed with the fearsome power that leaked from the ichibi. Leaning his body right up against the bars of his sand prison, the demon pushed his muzzle as close to her as he could, his hot breath causing the fabric of her clothing to undulate as it blew past her.

**"Come closer little pup, let me get a better look at you,"** he growled softly, more demanding this time, as his long, pointed ears twitched impatiently.

Aoi was vaguely aware of the sound of Gaara snarling something as she felt herself drowning in the terrible sensation of the monsters bloodlust, but it seemed so far away. Slowly her panic filled eyes looked up and became locked with Shukaku's wicked, dark orbs.

In that moment, Aoi new she was going to die.

* * *

Exhaling heavily, Temari snapped her fan shut, giving the mangled corpse at her feet a derisive snort as she swept past it. Walking over to the second body that lay on the ground several feet from the first, the blonde dropped to her haunches and quickly checked for a pulse.

Nothing. Temari allowed herself a grim smile. The snake venom had done its work. Straightening up, she quickly swung her fan onto her back as she glanced over at her brother.

"Anyone left alive?" she called over to him. Looking up from where he was crouched next to a body, the puppet master met his sister's gaze.

"Yeah, the one Aoi took down is still breathing. Looks like she wasn't aiming to kill," as he spoke his tone held a slight sneer. Suddenly realising something, Kankuro began to glance around him.

"Where'd she get to anyway?" he asked with a puzzled frown. Temari shrugged in response.

"My guess is she went looking for Gaara," she murmured as she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Kankuro let out a grunt of annoyance.

"And where the hell was he when we needed him?" he snapped, irritation clear on his painted features. Temari shook her head.

"I don't know but I intend to find out," she growled as she briefly swept her gaze over the surrounding forest, before turning back to her younger brother once again.

"You head back to the village with the prisoner, I'll look for Aoi and Gaara," she ordered, her tone firm. With a shrug of acceptance, the hooded youth nodded stood up, dragging the unconscious missing-nin with him as he did so. Carelessly slinging one of the comatose man's arms around his shoulders, he took a firm hold of him around his waist before giving Temari a lazy nod of farewell and moving swiftly into the forest.

After watching her brother disappear, Temari turned her attention to seeking out Gaara's chakra pattern. She had barely started her search when she was startled from her concentration by the sound of hysterical squeals.

Eyes snapping open, Temari watched in surprise as a small brown blur exploded from the undergrowth to her left. Recognising the shrieking mammal as Aoi's pet ferret, the blonde kneeled down by his side with a worried frown.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked it as it raced to her and began frantically tugging on her skirt with his teeth, his sharp little claws raking the skin of her legs through her fishnet leggings as he tried in vein to haul her forwards. Releasing its mouthful of fabric momentarily, the mustelid gave her a frenzied chatter as way of an explanation before resuming his tugging.

Despite her irritation at the beast's behaviour, Temari felt unease begin to uncurl in her stomach. Clearly something was wrong. Firmly prying herself loose form the small furry creature, the blond stood, levelling it a firm glare.

"Calm down!" she ordered in her most intimidating voice. On seeing she had the trebling animal's attention she continued:

"Obviously something is the matter with Aoi..," she was interrupted by an excited bark. Slowly she nodded. "Alright then ferret, take me to her."

Temari watched as the small mammal chattered its agreement before darting off. Firmly stifling her worry for her two missing team mates, the kunoichi quickly followed.

When she finally arrived at their location, the unease that had been uncurling in the pit of her stomach began to grow. Something was definitely far form right here.

On the ground in front of her was the huddled figure of her youngest brother, back bent, hands fisted by his side, eyes screwed shut and his face twisted in a soundless snarl. Knelt in front of him was a pale, sweating Aoi, brow furrowed and eyes squeezed shut, a look of fear frozen on her face as her slim hands pressed gently to either side of Gaara's forehead.

The girl's ears, face and neck were laced with small cuts.

With an agonised wail, Temari's small guide bolted over to the medic. Launching himself at her, he began ripping his sharp claws down her cheeks and screeching desperately at her in a futile attempt to wake her from her trance. Turning his head, the ferret began barking hysterically at the blonde kunoichi.

With a slightly panicked growl, Temari darted towards the blue haired ninja. Swatting the furry creature out of her way, the blonde seized hold of the front of Aoi's shirt and began to shake her violently, ripping her hands away from Gaara in the process.

Slowly, the girl's lids began to flutter, her fearful expression easing out into a more relaxed one. Pale lips parting, Aoi let out a small groan. Scowling with relief, Temari ceased her ministrations as she gently lowered the girl back to the earth.

Eyes cracking open, Aoi raised a shaky hand to her forehead as she dazedly glanced around her.

"... where am I?" she rasped, her usually soft voice raw and painful sounding.

"Just north of the clearing where Kankuro and I were battling with the missing-nin," Blinking in confusion, the bluenette turned hazy eyes on her rescuer. Slowly a scowling face framed by four blonde ponytails swam into focus.

"Temari?" she whispered in surprise. "Does that mean I'm alive? He didn't kill me?"

The blonde kunoichi's brows snapped down in a frown, but before she could open her mouth, she was interrupted by a series of high pitched squeals.

Aoi looked down in surprise as a trembling Toshi launched himself into her lap, swiftly clawing his way up her front and began to nose her stinging cheek in a desperate bid for comfort.

_"You wouldn't wake up!"_ the ferret wailed, his distress rolling of him in waves so thick it was almost palpable. _"I tried everything, but you wouldn't wake up!"_ Gently, the girl wrapped her arms round the shaken mustelid, stroking him soothingly as she murmured her apologies. A small velvety muzzle nuzzled into the crook of her neck.

_"I couldn't do anything so I had to try and find someone who could." _The medic's heart broke at the forlorn tone of her small friend.

_"Thank you Toshi. You saved my life,"_ she murmured to him as she continued to stroke his ruffled fur.

"Aoi!" The medic's head snapped up in surprise. She had almost forgotten that she and Toshi were not alone. Serious green eyes locked with hers.

"Aoi. Tell me what just happened. Did Gaara attack you?" A look of confusion passed over the bluenette's face.

"Gaara? No…" her voice trailed off as sudden recollection dawned on her. "Oh, Kami! Gaara!" she whispered in horror head whipping round to face him.

The redhead was leaning forward on his hands, his chest heaving as he gasped down ragged breaths. Slowly the blacked lids opened to reveal cold green eyes.

The immediate relief that Aoi felt on seeing that he too was awake, was abruptly quashed as his icy glare locked onto her. A swirling torrent of anger, confusion and unease poured out of him, but in comparison to the onslaught of emotion she had felt from Shukaku, this seemed like a soft caress.

Eyes narrowing slightly, the Jinchuriki lowered his head and laboriously climbed to his feet. Turning, the shinobi made to leave.

"Gaara?" Temari's voice caused the redhead to pause.

"What?" he rasped. The blonde frowned at the back of his head.

"What happened to you? Why did you disappear during the battle?" she demanded from the psychopath that was her youngest brother, silently praying that he was not about to snap. Slowly Gaara's head turned so he could look at her from the corner of his eye.

"I was busy," he stated simply, before leaving swiftly in the direction of the village. Eyes narrowing in annoyance, Temari watched him go.

"Come on, Kimura," she growled, turning to face Aoi, "we need to head back." Climbing to her feet, Toshi firmly cradled in her tired arms, the young medic nodded her agreement.

"Hai, Temari-san."

* * *

Taking a sip of his scalding tea, Baki observed the anxious blonde before him.

"I'm telling you Sensei, there's something wrong with Gaara," sighed Temari as she slumped into a chair at her teacher's kitchen table, exhaustedly rubbing her temples. Setting his cup on the table, the jounin's hawk-like brown snapped down in a dark frown as he gazed at his eldest student.

"What makes you think that?" he asked coolly. Worried green eyes locked with his own.

"Something happened on the mission," when she spoke her voice was low and uneasy. Baki's single visible eye narrowed.

"What happened?" Scowling into her own cup of tea, Temari thought over the strange events which had surrounded her recent mission.

"It was during the battle with the missing-nin," she began as she toyed with the beaker of steaming liquid before her. "Just after we were attacked, Gaara started behaving strangely. He started holding his head and muttering to himself." Baki's slim eyebrow raised doubtfully.

"You know Gaara often talks to himself during battle," he murmured as he studied the teenager. Vehemently, Temari shook her head.

"No. This wasn't his usual conversation with 'mother', this was different. Baki, he _stopped fighting and disappeared."_ Eye widening in shock, the jounin leaned back in his chair. Never in all his time training the young Jinchuriki could he ever recall Gaara walking away from a fight. The boy that claimed his sole reason for existence was death, _refusing_ a chance to kill someone..? It was… unheard of.

No wonder Temari was uneasy. Gaara acting strangely never boded well for the village.

"Why did you not report this?" Baki demanded, fiercely locking gazes with his pupil. Snarling in frustration, Temari raked a hand through her fringe.

"Why? Because you know as well as I do that the council are looking for any excuse they can find to use against him" she snapped irritably. "I refuse to report anything until I'm _certain_ that he has become a threat to the village." Angry green eyes glared up at the jounin. "Whatever else he is or has done, he is still my little brother."

Closing his eyes in frustration, Baki set his elbows on the table and steeped his fingers together. Temari was right. The council would tear Gaara apart if they heard this. Better to deal with it themselves for now.

"So then, tell me what actually happened during the fight," he ordered, his eyelid lifting slightly so he could once again focus on the girl in front of him. Temari scowled.

"Gaara left me and Kankuro to fight the battle outnumbered. We held our own for a while, but a loss was inevitable unless we got some back-up. Fortunately Aoi turned up and managed to even the odds up. After that she took off to find Gaara and left us to finish up." Raising her cup, Temari took a cautious sip of her rapidly cooling tea.

"Something happened between her and Gaara while we were fighting. I'm sure of it," she muttered thoughtfully.

"What do you mean by 'something'?" Frowning into her tea Temari thought about the question.

"I have no idea," she said at last. "When I got there they were both in some sort of trance. After I managed to wake them up, Gaara took off and Aoi muttered something about someone trying to kill her - but I don't think she meant Gaara. I asked her about it later but she claimed that she couldn't remember anything." Temari gave a disbelieving snort. Baki raised his eyebrow once more.

"You think she's lying?" he asked.

"Definitely," she growled softly, once again glaring at her tea. "Something happened to spook her so badly that she barely spoke on the entire trip home and she doesn't want to discuss it."

Baki leaned forward, pressing his fingers against his mouth as he considered this information. Exactly what had passed between them he could not say, but at least this offered some insight into Gaara's erratic new behaviour.

Aoi.

The only girl besides Temari that Gaara had been around for any length of time and not killed.

Now that he thought about it, Gaara _had_ been acting more… subdued lately. He had barely even threatened anyone since he had gotten back from the failed Konoha mission. Since he had first met Aoi. And hadn't Tomasu mentioned that the girl hated violence?

Was that really all that was going on here?

_'Well,"_ he mused to himself, _"he is fifteen now… I suppose it's normal to suddenly start noticing the opposite sex. Even for someone like him…'_ To be honest, Baki had never been certain that Gaara would ever take an interest in girls. All his energy always seemed to be channelled into killing to appease Shukaku's bloodlust.

And truth be told, he had always worried what would happen if he _did _ever discover them_._ If the boy had approached sating that particular hunger with the same cold disregard for others that he did his other ones, things had the potential to become… messy.

What Baki had never considered was that it may have a _good _effect on him. That he might try to control himself in order to impress someone. With the village's fear of him, it had seemed impossible that there would ever be a female willing to accept Gaara, so he had dismissed the notion.

But what if there was? Aoi was certainly unconventional enough, and she seemed to get on with Gaara at least as well as his siblings. But then again, that doesn't necessarily mean that she would want any sort of relationship with him.

What would happen if she were to reject Gaara? Would he take no for an answer? Or would he go on a murderous rampage to assuage his anger?

And this was all just assuming that he was right about Gaara's interest in the girl to begin with. Sighing, Baki rubbed his head. Well, it was the best idea he had at this particular moment in time, and to be honest, it was probably the best outcome he could hope for as well. He would keep the two of them interacting as much as possible for now and see where it led.

"Temari, I think it may be time for Gaara to have 'the talk'. **(1)**" Opening his eye, Baki saw his student staring at him as though he had just sprouted another head.

"You want me to… Wait a minute! That is what you think this is all about?!" Holding back a look of amusement at Temari's expression, Baki nodded.

"I believe it's a distinct possibility," he informed her impassively. Temari sat dumbfounded for a moment as she though this over.

She had to admit… it did seem to fit…

"I'll have Kankuro speak to him," she sighed as she stood up. Mimicking her movement, Baki escorted her to his front door.

"See that you do," he growled firmly as he opened it for her. Pausing on the doorstep, Temari turned back around to face her teacher, a scowl marring her features.

"Oh and sensei? When were you planning on telling me that Aoi was Kin's sister?" Slowly a dark smile spread itself over the jounin's face as he closed the door without another word.

Left speechless, Temari stood glaring at the closed door for several minutes before she managed to pull herself together. With one final glare, the blonde left for home.

* * *

"You want me to _what?!_" spluttered Kankuro, a look of disbelieving horror on his face. Scowling fiercely, Temari folded her arms under her breasts and levelled her younger brother a firm glower from where she stood at the other side of their kitchen table.

"You need to talk to Gaara," she growled in her best no-nonsense voice. Kankuro continued to gape at her, the various pieces of the puppet he had been tinkering with lying forgotten on the table in front of him.

"Let me get this straight," he choked, "you want _me_ to talk to _Gaara_ about _sex!"_

"Yes." The puppet master shot his sister an incredulous look.

"Why the hell would I want to go and do a stupid thing like that!? Are you _trying_ to get me killed?"

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Temari rubbed her face. Why did life have to be so damn complicated?

"Kankuro, _someone_ needs to do it. Baki thinks he might be starting to take an interest in girls. Would you rather we just left him to _experiment_? Just wait and see what he would come up with to try and deal with these new feelings that he doesn't understand?" she snapped at him.

"For the love of Kami! He's _fifteen!_ He _must_ know about everything by now!" he yelled in return, throwing his arms up in the air. Setting a hand on her hip, Temari gave him a derisive snort.

"Oh please Kankuro! This is _Gaara_ we are talking about! Who the hell besides us would ever bother trying to explain this to him?"

"But why _me?!_" her brother wailed jumping out of his seat. "Why not Baki or you if you think its so damn important? _Why do I have to do it?!_"

With an irritated snarl, the kunoichi slammed her hands down loudly on the wooden table.

"_Because you are his __brother!_" she yelled her green eyes narrowed in fury. "I can't do it because I am _female. _This is a _guy _thing! And we can't ask Baki to do it. This is a _family _matter. We have to deal with this ourselves! Besides," Temari let out a snort as she lowered her voice back down to a more normal tone. "Could you _imagine _getting that kind of talk from Baki? Gaara's messed up enough as it is. I'd like to try and not traumatise him further. For _everyone's _sake."

Sighing heavily Kankuro slumped back down in his chair. Pulling his hood off, the puppeteer ran a frustrated hand through his messy hair. Temari was right, just the though of their strict, stoic teacher trying to speak about something as embarrassing as sex was enough to make _him _want to drown himself, let alone an emotionally unstable time bomb like Gaara. And he supposed that all things considered, just leaving him to it probably wasn't the wisest option either… but was he seriously the best choice they had to do this?!

Shit. That was messed up.

"Kankuro?" his sister's accusing voice cut through the puppeteer's thoughts. Narrowing his eyes he scowled up at her.

"Alright! Fine, I'll do it!" he snarled as he climbed to his feet.

"But you owe me _big time_ for this!" he spat over his shoulder as he made his way towards the front door. Relief flooding her features, Temari allowed herself to slump forwards. Thank Kami for that.

Suddenly thinking of something, the blonde hurriedly leapt to her feet and darted after her brother, catching up to him just as he walked out the door.

"And don't you _dare_ even _think_ of foisting him of with some porn Kankuro!" she yelled down the darkened street after his retreating figure, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from the few passers-by.

* * *

**(1) Heh, sorry, I just couldn't resist! I love the idea of Gaara being so evil and so innocent at the same time! Plus we now have the added bonus of putting Kankuro in a mortifying position (and no offence to any Kankuro fans out there, I like him too, but he's fun to torture!)**

**Oh and for the record – Baki and Temari are just speculating about the cause of Gaara's recent behaviour and this was the conclusion they came up with, that doesn't make them correct! I'm not trying to steal Naruto's thunder, honest!**

**Reviews are what make writing so worthwhile – so good or bad, please review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 5: Conversations

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Conversations**

With a weary sigh, Aoi stretched out on her rooftop, folding her arms beneath her head as she stared up at the night sky.

She had never though she would be so glad to get home.

The team had just arrived back that morning, each of them going their separate ways without so much as a word to one another. Aoi was unsure if this was the norm for the siblings, or if they too had been effected by the uneasy air that seemed to suffocate her. Still, whatever the reason, the bluenette was relieved to finally have some time to herself to think recent events over.

The trip home had been… unpleasant to say the least. She had spent the majority of her time dodging questions from a suspicious Temari and at the same time trying to maintain her distance from an irate Gaara. Although to most he would seem his usual, impassive self, Aoi was altogether _too_ aware that he was still very much unnerved and angry from the whole 'incident'.

And then there was Kankuro. He had just been… Kankuro. If he had been marginally more pleasant, it was only because he had paid her less attention.

Sighing Aoi ran a hand through her blue locks, enjoying the peace of her solitude. Even Toshi was not here to bother her, having already fallen asleep in her bed. An aura of guilt enveloped her when her thoughts turned to the mustelid. The small animal had been demanding a lot of her attention lately, alternating between wallowing in guilt ridden depression and being unbearably clingy and over protective. A sad smile quirked on Aoi's lips. She felt awful for being the cause of his distress, but she sincerely hoped that he got over it soon. The way he was acting now was rapidly becoming tiresome.

Letting her eyes slide shut, the young medic found her mind drifting back to the cause of all this fuss.

Gaara, or to be more precise, Shukaku.

What _exactly_ was it that had happened? It was all still a mystery to her. No matter how many times she went over it in her head, she still could not figure it out. _Somehow_, she had managed to follow Gaara's tattered chakra pathways down into the place deep in his mind where he kept Shukaku sealed. It shouldn't have been possible.

It shouldn't have, but she had done it.

So far she had only come up with two possible explanations. Neither of which offered her any comfort. Either Gaara's seal was weakening – although that looked unlikely as Aoi certainly hadn't noticed him becoming any more unstable lately (which he surely would if Shukaku was becoming more active), or it was all connected somehow to her genkai, and she didn't even want to think about that. It would mean her harmless, useless genkai, was far more sinister than anyone had ever thought.

Shivering, Aoi pushed that thought away and turned her mind to other concerns. Mulling over the details of the encounter that she had dismissed in her initial fear. If working for Tomasu had taught her anything it was never to take any detail for granted, no matter how superfluous it may seem at the time. You never know when that one sliver of knowledge may be the only thing standing between you and death – whether it be your own or your patient's was irrelevant.

Closing her eyes again, Aoi took herself back to the moment she had first heard the voices. She had been following the chakra. The same blue chakra that every shinobi possessed. But now that she actually thought about it, it had been behaving oddly. Rather then coursing around the circulatory system as it normally would, it had instead all been flowing towards a single point – Shukaku's cave.

And then there had been the _other_ chakra that had appeared. The rust coloured one. That _must_ have been the ichibi's. It had been trickling out of the cave, battling against the current of the blue as it fought to flow in the opposite direction. Almost as if it were trying to spread through Gaara's chakra circulatory system and infect him like a disease.

And before that, back when she had first entered the Jinchuriki's mind, the shredded chakra pathways. She remembered thinking how they had looked like something had ripped claws through them. Was that exactly what had happened?

Gaara had fled during a battle, abandoning his brother and sister to their fate while he ran away to converse with his demon. You didn't need to know much about Gaara to realise that was out of character. Gaara would never run from a battle like that, if not out of love for his siblings, then to soothe the chaos of his soul with blood. Which is exactly what Shukaku had been demanding when Aoi had first heard him. And Gaara had refused.

Lips parting in shock, Aoi considered the implications of her musings. What if Gaara were trying to gain control over Shukaku's malicious desires? It would explain everything. If Aoi were to hazard a guess at what had gone on, she would say that Gaara had fled the battle when he realised he was in danger of releasing Shukaku. He had run to flee from the temptation to somewhere he could subdue the demon without endangering his team mates.

Was that really what had happened? Or was that simply wishful thinking on her part?

Heart clenching, Aoi's teal eyes stared blankly up at the stars above her head as she thought of the redhead. She wanted so much to believe that there was still hope for him. That there was still something in the Jinchuriki that was still human enough to save…

But even as she thought it, her mind flew back to the tanuki in his sand prison. Swallowing thickly, she recalled the suffocating power that had unconsciously rolled off Shukaku. Even if she was right, how could anyone seriously hope to control _that_? Shuddering, the bluenette attempted to shove the chilling vision of those terrible, bloodthirsty eyes from her mind.

_**"Oh? Thinking of me, are you, little pup?"**_ Sitting bolt upright, Aoi whipped her head round as she began to look wildly about her for the source of the sickeningly familiar voice, desperately praying that her mind was simply playing trick on her.

_**"Now, now pup, didn't your mother ever tell you its bad manners to ignore someone when they talk to you? I **__**know**__** you can hear me"**_ the voice purred at her, sending fearful shivers down her spine. Eyes widening in terror, Aoi continued her frenzied search as she frantically wondered what to do. On one hand, she had absolutely no desire to talk to Shukaku again as long as she lived. On the other hand, how wise was it to try to ignore a huge, homicidal demon?

_**"Come, speak to me a while. Life gets so tedious in this prison of mine. Surely you would not begrudge me a little conversation to ease my boredom, would you pup?"**_ even when coaxing her, the voice retained its sinister edge. Biting her lip, Aoi closed her eyes in resignation.

_"No, Shukaku-sama, I would not begrudge you conversation. Please forgive my earlier rudeness, your words took me by surprise,"_ she responded reluctantly, forcing her tone to remain polite and mask her fear. She was rewarded a rumbling laugh for her attempts.

_**"'Sama' is it?"**_ the tanuki mused, _**"I approve of your manners little pup. You are wise to show the proper humility before me, not at all like my obstinate brat. Tell me, what is your name?"**_

_"Kimura Aoi, Shukaku-sama,"_ Shukaku let out a dark chuckle.

_**"Very well, Kimura Aoi, tell me how it is that you came to be in my cave? And why, out of all the pathetic shinobi that inhabit this village, you alone can hear my voice? Hmm?"**_ Swallowing nervously Aoi considered how best to answer those questions.

_"I am afraid that I am not entirely sure how it is I came to be in your cave Shukaku-sama. All I know is that I was attempting to heal Gaara-san one minute and the next I had been swallowed by blackness and I awoke in your presence. As to why I can hear your voice… I think it must be because of my genkai. It allows me to do such things with animals, it would seem that the same is true of creatures such as yourself." _Once again Aoi was greeted by the menacing laugh.

_**"My my, what an interesting genkai it is that you posses, little pup,"**_ the ichibi snorted in amusement.

_"Arigato, Shukaku-sama,"_ the medic murmured, unsure what exactly was the appropriate response to his words.

_**"Why don't you come back to my cave and we can continue this discussion face to face. I would like to hear more of this genkai of yours,"**_ the sand demon asked slyly. Eyes snapping open in shock, Aoi did her best to fend of the chill feeling of dread at the thought. There was absolutely _no way_ that she was going to go back there.

_"Thank you for the kind offer, Shukaku-sama, but I do not believe Gaara-san would be happy with me if I did so," _she replied quickly as beads of cold sweat trickled down her back. The tanuki let out a dismissive snort.

_**"Forget about the brat, he need never know. Now come, little pup. Come visit me in my cave," **_Shukaku's crooning voice caressed her mind seductively. Aoi felt her terror rise. How on earth was she going to get out of this one?

_"Shukaku? What are you up to, demon?"_ snarled a familiar voice, sending a wave of relief through Aoi.

Gaara.

Once again, the redhead had intervened and saved her from the tanuki. A shaky smile flickering over her lips, the medic felt a sudden surge of gratitude towards her rescuer. She was going to have to find a way to thank the redhead.

_**"Do I interrupt you when you are talking, brat?"**_ sneered the ichibi in response.

_"Frequently,"_ came the icy reply. "_Who are you talking to?" _Shukaku let out another of his bone-shaking laughs.

_**"Such bad manners, brat. You would do well to take lessons from this little friend of yours. She knows how to show proper respect towards her superiors,"**_ the tanuki mocked. Gaara remained silent for several seconds while he considered Shukaku's words.

_"Who's there?"_ demanded the Jinchuriki at last, his voice cold.

_"I am Gaara-san,"_ Aoi responded hesitantly.

A further silence greeted her words, broken only by yet another rumbling guffaw from the demon.

_**"You are welcome to visit me in my cave anytime, little pup. Goodbye for now, but I promise you, we **__**will**__** talk again soon."**_

As the words of his sinister promise died away into nothing, so too did the ominous presence in her mind. Slowly opening her eyes Aoi gazed around her. Gone. Both of them. She could no longer hear them, nor could she detect any indication of their presence.

Slowly rubbing her face with her hands, the bluenette let out a weak laugh as she thought of Shukaku's parting words. It would seem that she had a demonic stalker.

Oh Kami… What had she got herself into?

"Aoi, are you there?" Kin's voice floated up from the kitchen below, dragging the girl from her hysterical thoughts. Gritting her teeth, the medic firmly told herself to get a grip. Only once she was certain that she had managed to get herself back in control did she climb to her feet and jump down to answer her sister's summons.

The last thing she needed was Kin asking questions.

* * *

Scowling fiercely to himself, Kankuro wandered the darkened streets, hands shoved moodily into his pockets as he searched for his younger brother.

He couldn't actually believe what he had just been roped into.

Having 'the talk'.

With Gaara.

If the humiliation of the whole situation didn't kill him, the redhead probably would. Or worse, what if he actually wanted to _discuss_ things? What if he started asking _questions!?_ Kankuro froze in his tacks, face twitching as he considered that possibility. Kami only knows what kind of twisted perversions resided in the brat's mind…

Swallowing nervously, Kankuro resumed his walking, a troubled expression on his painted features. Was this really the best idea? Maybe the world would be a safer place if Gaara never found out about sex…

Then again, Temari had a point. He didn't even want to imagine what would be the outcome of letting Gaara try to figure things out on his own.

The scowl returning, Kankuro aimed a vindictive kick at a nearby stone. It was all very well for _Temari_ to preach at him about it. She wasn't the one that had to face the bloodthirsty terror.

" '_You're his brother Kankuro' "_ the puppet master sneered to himself in a squeaky imitation of Temari's voice, " '_it's a __guy__ thing' Kankuro.'_ Stupid woman."

He was no idiot. He knew _exactly_ what had prompted this whole damn thing. After all it wasn't like he was blind, he _had_ noticed his brother's recent unusual behaviour. But unlike Temari and Baki, he also knew better than to chalk it up to some weird crush.

After all – who ever heard of a teenager getting _nicer_ because they hit puberty? Stop him if he was wrong here, but wasn't that supposed to work the otherway round?

Letting out a contemptuous snort, Kankuro raked an irritated hand through his scruffy locks, inwardly kicking himself for leaving his trademark hood lying on the kitchen table when he had stormed out.

No, he knew better than them. This strange new kick Gaara was on had started before Aoi had come on the scene. It had started back in Konoha. Right after he had lost his battle, when he had _apologised_ to them. In all his life, Kankuro could never even _once_ remember Gaara apologising.

If anyone was responsible for Gaara's behaviour it was that Uzumaki kid.

And if Baki was still adamant about this all being related to hormones then there was no way in hell that he was giving Gaara _that_ 'talk'. As many mentally scarring images flashed quickly before his unwilling mind, Kankuro gave a disgusted shudder.

Nope. If Temari wanted Gaara to have the boy on boy version she could do it herself. Shaking his head to rid himself of images that would undoubtedly haunt him to his grave, Kankuro forced himself to focus on the dark street around him.

Then again… didn't that mean he was off the hook? As that happy though floated into his brain, the puppet master stopped to contemplate it.

Yes. Either he was right – and the whole crush thing was totally of the mark… or else he was _still_ right, and the one Gaara had a thing for was that little loud mouthed blonde. In which case he wasn't touching this with a ten foot barge pole, no matter _what_ Temari said.

A triumphant smirk on his face, Kankuro absently rounded the corner of the street he was walking.

Slowly the smile slipped from his lips as he gazed on the scene before him. Several feet in front of him stood Gaara. The Jinchuriki was standing hidden in the shadows of the surrounding buildings, arms folded across his chest as he stared intently up at something – a confused frown on his face. A feeling of foreboding knotting in his stomach, Kankuro followed his brother's gaze.

There, on a roof top illuminated in the moonlight, was Aoi. His mood crashing, the puppeteer watched glumly as the medic leaped nimbly down from her perch and entered (what he assumed was) her house.

So much for that idea.

Ah crap.

* * *

With a wide yawn, Aoi stretched her aching arms above her head. Work had been exhausting today. Apparently Tomasu-sensei had no intention of letting her have it easy simply because she was just back from her mission.

_'I'm back one day and he already has me working the graveyard shift,"_ Aoi thought to herself wryly as she looked up at the rising sun.

A soft chitter drew her out of her musings. Laughing quietly to herself, Aoi looked down at the twitching canvas pouch on her belt. A small sleepy head poked out of it, blinking blearily in the light.

_"'s morning already?"_ Toshi mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. Reaching down to scratch him behind the ear, Aoi nodded.

"_Mm'hm. And bedtime for me,"_ barking his agreement, the ferret dexterously freed himself from his pouch and scaled her front, settling his long body across her shoulders in his usual perch. Smiling contentedly to herself, Aoi began her walk home, grateful for Toshi's seemingly good mood.

Humming a soft tune under her breath, the medic made her way down the empty streets, marvelling at how the breaking dawn painted the usually dreary village in vibrant colour. As she turned her gaze up to the skyline, Aoi's eyes fell on a solitary figure sitting on a nearby rooftop, instantly recognisable by the shock of red hair and the gourd sitting beside him.

On seeing what had captured his human's attention, Toshi let out an irate grumble.

_"No! Uh-uh. No way. Don' even __think__ about it!"_ Aoi gave her friend an exasperated look.

_"Toshi, I've already been over this with you. I owe Gaara my life. The least I can do is thank him."_ Lunging up to issue a painful nip to her ear, the ferret gave her an angry glare.

_"If it weren't for him you wouldn't have been in danger in the first place!" _Sighing loudly, Aoi began walking resolutely in the direction of the Jinchuriki.

_"Toshi, I'm going like it or not," _she told him firmly as she moved. Snarling his frustration at the bluenette's foolishness, Toshi dug his claws into her flesh and began muttering quietly to himself as he shot death glares at the rapidly approaching redhead.

On reaching her destination, Aoi swiftly leaped up onto the roof beside the Jinchuriki. Emotionless green eyes watched her closely as she approached him, a friendly smile on her face.

"Good morning Gaara-san," she greeted him pleasantly. "You're up early!"

"I don't sleep," the shinobi informed her impassively. "What is it you want?" Caught of guard by his strange statement, Aoi took a moment to realise she had been asked a question. Shrugging away his remark to ponder at a later date, Aoi dropped her gaze to the stone roof beneath her feet.

"I… ah… wanted to thank you…" she mumbled shyly as she felt her face heat up in a blush.

"For what?" Blinking in surprise, Aoi looked up into Gaara's frowning face.

"For saving my life, Gaara-san. From Shukaku. I'm certain he would have killed me had you not spoken when you had. Both times." Slowly the frown eased, but the frostiness in his eyes remained.

"I see," he muttered softly as he turned to gaze across the sea of rooftops before him. "You are correct. He would certainly kill you if he was given the chance. Do not speak with him again." Although his tone remained dispassionate, Aoi detected a hint of warning in the cold voice. Biting her lip nervously Aoi nodded her head.

"I'll try my best to do as you say, but I'm afraid what would happen if I were just to ignore him if he decided to contact me again. I promise you though; I have no desire to speak with him a third time." Gaara tilted his head in the barest inclination to indicate he had been listening.

Sensing that their conversation was over, Aoi opened the pouch at her side containing her ninja gear and fished out a canvas wrapped package.

"Um, I have something for you." Turning to face the bluenette once again, Gaara gazed at package he was being offered with a mixture of confusion and mistrust.

Seeing his hesitation, Aoi decided she had better elaborate.

"It's a special tea I made for you. When we first met you mentioned that you often get headaches – this may not stop the cause of them, but it should help a little with the pain." Green eyes narrowing suspiciously, Gaara locked eyes with the medic.

"Why?" he demanded. Sensing the unease and bewilderment that was bubbling underneath the redhead's irritated façade, Aoi offered him a kind smile.

"To say thank you," she explained, her voice sincere. From his perch on her shoulder (where mercifully he had remained relatively silent during the most of the conversation) Toshi gave out a soft snort which was ignored by both of the ninja.

The suspicion never fully leaving his face, Gaara studied her silently for a few minutes, before slowly nodding and lifting the bundle from her hands. Aoi's smile broadened as she dipped her head in gratitude towards him for accepting her gift.

"Gomen, Gaara-san, but I will have to leave now. My sister will be expecting me home." Again Aoi was graced with the barest of nods.

Smiling her farewell, the bluenette moved off in the direction of her house, internally aglow with her small accomplishment.

* * *

Gaara continued to watch as the blue haired girl moved further up the road and out of his sight – journeying in the direction of the same house whose roof he had seen her on the previous night. Slowly his gaze flickered down to the package he still held loosely in his hand.

Tea..? Why exactly she had felt the need to give him a gift he was unsure, but then most interactions between 'normal' people baffled him. Tilting his head back, Gaara raised his gaze up to look at the raising sun.

Lately he had been trying though. Trying to understand. Uzumaki had said that his bonds were what gave him his reason to exist. That they were what made him strong. Closing his black ringed eyes, Gaara recalled the look on the blonde's face as he had told him that. The determination, the conviction and most of all the comprehension. He too knew what it was like to be alone. The two of them were alike in that respect.

Hearing that, _seeing_ that… it had changed him. It had made him want to experience those bonds for himself. And it had made him do what he had not done for years. Not since he was a child.

Hope. Hope that it was possible… even for someone like him.

He had wanted it, but after so many years of hating, of being isolated from those around him, he had not known how to even begin such a task. So he had started looking at what went on around him. Watching people and seeing how they act around one another.

Hand tightening around the canvases wrapped bundle, Gaara climbed to his feet, picking up his gourd and slipping over his shoulder as he rose. Moving to the end of the rooftop, Gaara jumped easily down to the garden below. Landing lightly on his feet, the redhead walked leisurely into the house he shared with his siblings.

Walking through the dark corridor, Gaara made his way towards the staircase, passing the door to the kitchen on his way. As he did so he heard the usual sounds of his brother and sister sharing breakfast within. Pausing with one foot on the stair, Gaara turned his head to look at the closed door, listening to the muffled yells and clangs as his siblings argued on the other side.

Though they may not be aware of it, Temari and Kankuro were the two he watched most. He watched when Temari would scold Kankuro for some small irritation, or when Kankuro would insult Temari's cooking, or when they would argue about Baki's orders and why Temari was always considered the stand-in team leader. These would always inevitably end up in punches (as well as pot pans and any other handy make-do ammunition) being thrown and (virtually always) Temari emerging the victor.

The more he had watched them the more he had realised, that despite the violence of their relationship, and despite how it might seem to outsiders, underneath it all Temari and Kankuro really did care for one another. That realisation had caused a pang to run through him, although exactly what emotion it was that he was feeling, he could not be certain.

And so he continued to watch them, learning all he could from their interactions, ready for the day that perhaps he too could be included in their family.

Turning away from the door, Gaara left his brother and sister behind as he climbed the stairs to his room.

* * *

Sea foam eyes flickered to the window, noting the position of the sun in the sky. Midday. Heavy blackened lids sliding shut Gaara rubbed a shaking hand down his face. Only midday…

Deep within his mind, behind the bars of his sand prison, Shukaku had spent the last few hours roaring his fury as he smashed his bulk into the door of his cage, each attempt causing white hot agony to lance through Gaara's body. The pain was so intense it had distorted the minutes into hours and the hours into days. Even now the demon was quiet, the pain remained, reverberating in his very bones, sapping his strength and pushing him to the brink of consciousness.

But he struggled to remain awake. To fall asleep now would be to hand over the reigns to Shukaku, and he knew all to well what that would mean…

With a low snarl, Gaara pressed a hand to his forehead, willing the ache to cease. Opening pain dulled eyes, the Jinchuriki turned his head to stare apathetically at his room, hazily seeking something to occupy his mind. Slowly his gaze settled on the small canvas parcel on his desk.

Aoi's tea.

Frowning lightly, Gaara struggled to his feet and lurched over to pick it up, turning the small bundle round curiously in his hands.

She had said it could help. But then again, she might be wrong… or lying. Clenching his jaw against the throbbing onslaught Gaara shook his head. The agony was making it hard to reason. Focusing on the parcel in his hands once more, the red head made a swift decision and turned towards his door.

What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

Sitting at the kitchen table Gaara blew on the steaming liquid before him before hesitantly taking a sip. Savouring the strange bittersweet tang of the mixture on his tongue the Jinchuriki let out a barely audible sigh of contentment.

As it had turned out, Aoi's tea not only worked remarkably well to numb the incessant throbbing of his brain, but also happened to be surprisingly tasty.

A light frown marred the redhead's features. But why would she go to the bother of making this for him? She had said that it was a 'thank you' present… Gaara couldn't remember the last time anyone had given him a present… Now that he thought about it, he couldn't _ever_ remember being given a present.

He supposed he must have gotten one at some point, during that brief time where he was pampered and cherished by his father - before he had been dubbed a horrifying mistake and sentenced to death - but he couldn't remember it.

But now Aoi had given him one. She had given him one because… he hadn't simply let Shukaku kill her? Gaara's frown deepened. That's what he didn't understand… she had _seen_ what he had inside of him. She had _met_ Shukaku. Most people who had been unfortunate to have laid eyes on the demon before her had been unable to even _look_ at him afterwards. But instead she had… thanked him? The notion was perplexing to the redhead.

But then the other people who had seen Shukaku were the ones who had been around when he had been let loose. Never before had anyone been able to walk into Shukaku's cave. Or to be able to hear him when he called out, let alone been foolish enough to try and have a conversation with him.

Taking another sip of his tea, Gaara considered this. The girl was strange. The tea on the other hand was good. He would not let it go to waste simply because he did not understand _why_ exactly he had been given it.

Leaning back on his chair Gaara slid his eyes closed as he enjoyed the lack of tension in his body for the first time in weeks.

He was still in that pose when the door to the kitchen banged open to reveal his older brother, puppet still bound to his back, sweat streaked and face paint smeared as he arrived home from his border patrol. As he strode exhaustedly into the room, Kankuro's gaze fell on Gaara's relaxed frame and closed lids, causing him to freeze mid-step.

"Oh shit…" he whispered as he began to back out of the kitchen paling visibly in the process. "TEMARI!" the panicked yell tore from his throat as he whipped round and prepared to bolt.

"I'm awake, Kankuro," the low voice stopped him in his tracks. Hesitantly turning his head, the puppet master was greeted by two impassive green eyes looking at him in a slightly irritated manner. Shoulders slumping in relief, Kankuro leaned against the doorframe as he rubbed his face, not even caring that he was smearing the paint further.

"Thank Kami for that…" the puppeteer rasped closing his eyes and pulling off his hood to run a shaky hand through his hair.

Any further comment he may have made was cut of at that point by the belated arrival of Temari. Battle fan ready, the kunoichi burst into the room, roughly shouldering past Kankuro and quickly scanning the area for threats.

"I'm here, what is it?" she snapped as she continued her search.

"False alarm," muttered Kankuro scowling at her back before snapping angry brown eyes on his brother. "Kami damn it, Gaara! What the hell were you doing!? I thought you were _asleep_!" he snarled as he took a threatening step forward.

Turning to look wide eyed at Kankuro, Temari muffled a gasp of horror. No wonder he had yelled out. Gaara asleep was not a good thing.

Stifling an annoyed sigh, Gaara's green eyes flickered irritably towards the irate brunette and the aghast blonde in the doorway. At this rate they were going to give him another headache. Perhaps he should just retreat to his room? …No. If he did that he would be unable to learn about their bond. Leaning back in his seat, Gaara took another sip of his tea and willed his annoyance down.

"I wasn't asleep," he murmured as he set his cup back down on the table.

Blinking in shock, Temari looked back and forth between her two younger brothers. Kankuro stood fuming in the doorway, further infuriated by Gaara's lack of attention. Which was foolish, as not so long ago such a comment would have had Gaara threatening to kill him… again. But not this time.

Temari frowned lightly as she studied the redhead. Despite the irritated expression on his face, he looked… relaxed. More relaxed than she could ever remember seeing him before. Eying him nervously, the blonde wondered what was behind Gaara's strangely mellow behaviour. It wasn't until she watched him raise his cup to his face, that the realisation hit Temari.

Gaara didn't drink tea.

Gaze falling on a small package on the counter, Temari walked over to examine it. Lifting it in her hands, the kunoichi looked at the unmarked, plain canvas and string tied bundle, before opening the top to look at its contents. A gentle waft of fragrant herbs drifted up to her as she gazed uneasily down at the dried, shredded leaves within.

In an arid, desert village like Suna, plants – particularly _herbs_, were worth more than their weight in gold. She dreaded to think the value of what she was holding in her hands right now.

"Gaara… is this yours?" she asked hesitantly as she looked back over at him. Slowly the redhead turned to face his sister, eyes flickering down to the package in her hands.

"Yes," he said simply, his face as unreadable as always.

Curiosity peaked despite his temper, Kankuro craned his neck to see what it was that Temari was holding that had made her so nervous.

"What is it?" he snapped tetchily. Green eyes flickering momentarily to his brother, Gaara once again did his best to control his aggravation.

"Tea," he stated, allowing his annoyance to creep into his voice. Temari shot Kankuro a meaningful look over Gaara's head. Growling his exasperation, the puppeteer stalked over and snatched the package from Temari's hands.

Opening the top, Kankuro's eyes widened in shock.

"Gaara… where did you get this?" asked Temari as she smiled tensely at the redhead. His good mood rapidly disappearing, Gaara narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he studied his anxious siblings.

"It was given to me by Aoi," he murmured grudgingly.

Kankuro let out a choking noise as his head snapped up.

"_Aoi_ gave this to you..?" he gasped as his eyes flickered back and forth between the package and Gaara, looking somewhere between impressed, disbelieving and horrified. "…damn…"

A look of shock clear on her face, Temari turned her head to gaze at the package in Kankuro's hands as she considered the implications of the gift. After all girls did not go around giving expensive presents to just anyone.

Firmly pulling herself together, the blonde pinned the still stupefied Kankuro with one of her fiercest glares.

"Kankuro have you spoken to him yet?" she growled menacingly. The youth's face coloured underneath what was left of his paint as the agonising memory floated to the forefront of his mind. Face twitching, the puppet master glared murderously up at his sister.

_"Yes,"_ he ground out from between clenched teeth.

Gaara watched the strange behaviour of his siblings through narrowed eyes with growing distrust. He knew exactly which conversation they were talking about. He had only ever had one conversation with Kankuro which would cause his brother to behave in such a manner.

As Temari turned to face him with a knowing smile on her face, Gaara briefly wondered if she too was going to try and speak to him about sex. If she did, he only hoped the experience would not be as… disturbing as it had been with Kankuro.

"I'm glad to see you and Aoi have become such good friends," Gaara frowned at his sister.

"Why would you assume that Aoi and I are friends?" Temari gave him a searching look. Was he really that oblivious? Lip twitching with amused exasperation, Temari gave herself a mental kick. Of course he was. He was Gaara.

"Gaara, generally when a girl gives a boy a present like this, it usually means something," she explained as gently as she could.

Gaara gave his sister a cool stare.

"I believe it is supposed to mean 'thank you'." Perplexed at his answer, Temari frowned at her brother.

"What? Why would she be thanking you?" she asked in confusion. Having had enough, Gaara climbed to his feet and made his way to the door.

"For saving her life," he murmured as he walked from the kitchen leaving his stunned siblings gawping at the empty doorway.

Perhaps this bond thing was more hassle than it was worth.

* * *

**Poor Temari and Kankuro, they just keep jumping to the wrong conclusions don't they?**

**Thank you for reading, please review and let me know what you thought of it – good and bad!**


	7. Chapter 6: A Kunoichi's Duty

**Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed! All this fantastic feedback really motivates me to crack on and really get into this story (much to the sad detriment of my other ficlets!) so go you!**

**Oh and just to answer a question I was asked in a review **

**Nicole: yes this story aims to fill in some of the gaps in the time skip. There will be an eventual skip at a later date, but I do hope to cover all the major plot holes from the anime.**

**Actually, on a random aside: that was what caused this particular ficlet to be born – the part where Gaara turns up for the first time outside of the chunin exam arc and he's done a 180 personality flip (not that we don't all love nice Gaara as much as badass Gaara, but I think we were all curious about the details of that little gem!). Plus after watching the recent episodes where we see Sai trying to learn about emotions (I just love Sai! It really cracks me up when he keeps not quite getting things right in his attempts at friendship!) I figured that Gaara must have had an equally hard (and amusing) time of it! And thus The Taming of the Sand was born.**

**There we are. A small piece of useless trivia from me to you.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Kunoichi's Duty**

Carefully cutting the plant at its stem, Aoi placed the herb onto the small bundle sitting on the cotton sheet by her side. There. That should be enough to keep the hospital going for a while.

With a happy sigh, Aoi dragged her forearm across her dirt streaked brow as she glanced contentedly around the glass house.

Due to the inhospitable climate of Suna, all plant life had to be grown inside specially constructed glass buildings and carefully tended to ensure they have everything required in order for them to grow. And with a valuable commodity like water being one of the necessities, such an endeavour was highly costly. Because of this, the glass houses were reserved solely for the growth of medicinal herbs, most of which were used by the village itself, with the excess sold elsewhere.

Carefully wrapping her bundle and securing it with string, Aoi felt a pang of guilt as she remembered pilfering the herbs required to make Gaara's tea. As a medic – and more importantly Tomasu-sensei's apprentice, she was one of the few given free reign to take whatever she needed from here. Of course that was not supposed to include personal luxuries.

_"But then again, it's not like I took it for myself. I took it to help Gaara-san. Just because he wasn't in the hospital doesn't mean he's no longer my patient. It's my job to do whatever I can to help ease his suffering. Besides… I owed him..."_

_"I don't see why you did it in the first place if it bothered you that much,"_ snapped an irritated voice to her left. Starting as the ferrets words broke into her thoughts, Aoi turned to face Toshi.

Blinking in surprise, the bluenette gazed on the small glowering mammal as he lounged lazily on his side, basking in the sunlight streaming through the glass pains. She had not even realised that she had been projecting her thoughts. Sighing aloud, Aoi frowned at her companion.

_"Toshi, I don't know what's wrong with you lately! I realise that Gaara isn't your favourite person, but we've been over this. He saved my life. With out him, Shukaku would have killed me long before Temari arrived."_

Sullenly, the ferret dropped his head between his small forepaws and looked away. Breathing a weary sigh, Aoi knelt down beside the sulking mustelid.

_"Toshi, what is it really that's upsetting you?"_ she asked in a firm but gentle tone. Toshi remained silent. Rolling her eyes in exasperation with her fuzzy friend, Aoi began to climb to her feet.

_"I couldn't do anything." _The meek voice caused her to drop immediately back down to the ground, shock and pity written over face.

_"Oh Toshi…"_

_"I could smell the fear on you. I knew you needed help but there was nothing I could do! I had to wait for someone else to help you. I was useless. How can I take care of you if you wont take my advice and I can't do anything to protect you when you're in danger?"_ the ferret wailed, his small body trembling with the weight of the emotion.

Aoi felt her heart clench for her small friend. She remembered all too well what it felt like to be useless. To feel like you were nothing more than a burden on those you cared for. After all, hadn't she been the same before Tomasu-sensei had taken her on as his apprentice?

_"Toshi, you are not useless. You are my friend and you have always taken care of me. If you hadn't thought to fetch Temari…"_

_"But what if I hadn't found her? Or she hadn't listened to me? I don't want to have to hope that someone will be around next time. I want to be able to help you myself." _As she stared into Toshi's liquid black eyes, Aoi saw the desperation and fear swirling in their depths.

_"I don't want you to leave me!"_ Leaning over, the bluenette gathered the trembling animal into her arms.

_"I don't want to leave you either Toshi,"_ she whispered as she rocked him gently. _"And if you really feel that strongly, I will help you find a way to be more useful."_ Head jerking up Toshi gazed at her hopefully.

_"Really? You think that there actually is something I can do?"_ The meek hesitance of his normally boisterous voice broke the medic's heart.

_"Yes,"_ she vowed forcefully. _"We will find a way, I promise you."_

* * *

Baki scowled at the documents that lay piled haphazardly on his newly acquired desk, silently willing the offending items to spontaneously combust.

When the news of the Kazekage's demise had first been brought back to the village, he – like a few select others from the Suna's jounin ranks – had stepped up to work in collaboration with the village council to fill the void until such time as a suitable replacement could be found. This meant being ready to do whatever was necessary to hold the village together in this troubled time.

Unfortunately, he hadn't realised that 'whatever was necessary' included so much paperwork. Here he was. Baki, one of the most feared and respected shinobi in Suna. Reduced to acting as a glorified secretary.

Dear Kami, never let him become a Kazekage if this is what it entails.

After grudgingly conceding that the paper was withstanding his assault, Baki reluctantly picked up a pen and gingerly pulled the first document to him (chosen at random from the teetering pile).

It was a piece of legislation on dango stands.

_Dango stands._

The pen snapped in Baki's hand. Gritting his teeth, the jounin vehemently willed his ire down. He was doing this for the good of the village. He just had to remember that. The good of the village. Once his breathing had evened out once again, the veiled ninja once again turned his attention to the leaf of paper before him, forcing himself to read and properly consider what it was proposing.

He very nearly jumped for joy when his office door was thrown rudely open a minute later. Schooling his face so that it betrayed none of the relief he so acutely felt, Baki calmly raised his head to view the intruder.

Before his desk stood Tomasu, arms folded angrily over his narrow chest and an irritable glower twisting his pointed features.

"Baki-san," the medic greeted him in a tone that could freeze molten lava, "would you be so kind as to inform me _why_ you have seen fit to assign _my personal _apprentice border duty with out first consulting me?" The man's black eyes narrowed accusingly.

Baki raised a questioning brow at his junior, causing the man's face to twitch slightly in annoyance.

"Tomasu, you of all people should be aware that now more than ever Suna needs the skills of all of her ninja," he replied in an unruffled tone.

The twitching increased.

"Of course I am aware," he hissed viciously, "I allowed you to assign her to your team for away missions did I not? But sending her on _border patrol_ is a complete waste of her skills. If she is not to be sent on an away mission, then I demand that she take her rightful place in the hospital, where she belongs and where I can put her to the best use!"

Suppressing a smirk Baki carefully observed his fellow jounin. It had been years since he had managed to upset Tomasu this much. The man was usually so unflappable. Keeping his expression looking bored, Baki began to leaf idly through the papers littering his desk, as though searching for something.

"You have plenty of other civilian medics at your disposal, Aoi happens to be a kunoichi and therefore one of the few field medics that we have. Her place is with her peers. I am afraid that her training will simply have to take a back seat to her ninja duties until such a time as we can afford to spare her."

"You expect me to depend on the _civilians_?! Those imbeciles barely know which end to hold a scalpel by," snorted Tomasu, his lip curling in disdain.

"I'm sure you will cope."

The dark haired ninja arched an imposing eyebrow as he looked down his long nose at his elder.

"I don't know what it is you are planning Baki, but be warned: should anything happen to my apprentice, I will hold you personally responsible."

Slowly Baki ceased his pointless 'searching' and raised his head to look up at Tomasu with a raised brow of his own. Surely Tomasu-the-sadist was not _worried_ about the girl..? Now that _was_ interesting.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he replied evenly. Tomasu smiled sardonically at the veiled ninja.

"Hmm, is that so? Then perhaps you would be so kind as to explain to me why when I checked the roster, I found that Aoi was only partnered with Gaara?" Baki gave an innocent shrug.

"As you know, boarder patrol groups are commonly only made up of two ninja, and as Aoi is a new addition to my team, I felt it was necessary for her to take the opportunity to become familiar with her team mates styles and techniques so she can better aid them in battle," he lied smoothly.

"Oh? Then why is it she is never assigned with either of her other two team mates?" the medic sneered, his dark eyes flashing angrily.

"She will in due time. However as she has only just returned to the field after so long an absence, I felt it prudent to make sure she was partnered with someone who could compensate for her lack of experience."

Shrewd black eyes locked with Baki's as countless unknown calculations flashed through the shinobi's sharp mind. Idly, Baki reminded himself to be extra careful with anything he ate or drank in the near future. Tomasu was reputed to be… creative in terms of revenge.

"I see. Well far be it from me to question your upstanding motives, Baki-san," remarked the medic in a painfully dry drawl. "And since you have answered my questions, I will take my leave of you." Inclining his head in a mocking gesture, the jounin turned to leave.

"Oh and Baki-san, I do hope for your sake you know what you are doing. I have just managed to get Aoi trained to an acceptable standard, I would be most displeased were I forced to have to start over." With his final parting shot left ringing in the quiet room, Tomasu swept imperiously out the door.

As the man left, Baki felt his lip twitch up ever so slightly. Although he did indeed have his own reasons for assigning Aoi boarder duty, he had to admit, irritating Tomasu in such a manner was a definite bonus. Even if it was hazardous to his health. But after years of training Gaara, he was accustomed to such things.

Infinitely cheered, Baki pulled a stack of papers forward and fished a new pen out of the desk draw, ready to finally start working.

* * *

Heaving a deep sigh, Aoi slammed her book shut and drummed her fingers on its dusty cover as her eyes darted around the dimly lit, musty library she currently inhabited.

Nothing.

Try as she might, she could not find _anything_ to help her in her quest to aid Toshi.

On her lap the small mammal drooped his head sadly as he sensed his companion's frustration. Apparently he too knew the search wasn't going well. The bluenette's chest tightened at his forlorn little figure.

_"Don't worry Toshi. We will find __something__. I promise you,"_ she told him with more confidence than she felt. Letting out a dejected chirrup, the mustelid crawled into his pouch to sulk. Gritting her teeth, Aoi firmed her resolve. She would find a way to help him, no matter what.

Standing up, the young medic resumed her search, pulling out any and every book which looked like it may hold something useful and placing it carefully on her table to look at later.

Teal eyes scanning titles, Aoi ran her long fingers down the isle of battered spines as she walked. Slowly the girl came to a halt as a slim book bound in battered, oxblood-red leather caught her eye. Curiously she pulled it free from the embrace of its brothers and glanced at the gilded front cover.

On it, the images of weasels, raccoons, scorpions, toads and snakes all twined together as if in some kind of intricate dance, beneath a flowing golden script that marked the book's title.

"The Origin Summon Animals," the name escaped her lips in a breathless whisper as she gazed excitedly at the book in her hands.

This definitely looked promising. Grinning triumphantly to herself, the bluenette returned to her seat and began to read.

* * *

_"The book said that all summon animals started off at some point as ordinary, wild animals that became companions to powerful ninja. These ninja altered the animals by pouring their own chakra into them. Initially it was simply for storage purposes, but after a while it became apparent that the chakra was also affecting them in other ways. _

_"The animals started becoming larger and smarter and over time they developed abilities and even learned to talk, as well as amassing countless other changes. These alterations were then passed on to their descendants, who in time, evolved into the 'summon creatures' we know today and went on to establish contracts with the ninja villages."_

Toshi squirmed excitedly on his human's lap as she summarised what she had learned from the black squiggles in the 'book' she was waving about animatedly over her head.

_"So if it worked for them, you could do the same thing for me!"_ he yipped as he bounded eagerly up the front of her top to playfully nip at her ears. Aoi's smile faltered slightly.

_"Well, yes and no," _she murmured gently, as she stroked his head, _"Toshi, the people who created the summon creatures were ninja with power I could only dream about. Even if I do manage to do this, I doubt my attempts would be anywhere near as successful."_

Smirking to himself, Toshi nuzzled the bluenette's ear comfortingly. He had faith in his human. After all, he wouldn't have just picked _any_ monkey to take him home all those years ago.

_"It's okay. Even if it doesn't work the way we want, then at least I can be a chakra store for you. That's more than I do now anyway,"_ he soothed her as he did his best to control his glee.

Gently lifting the mustelid down from his perch on her shoulders, Aoi raised her small friend so that she could stare him in his large, intelligent dark eyes.

_"And you're sure you want to do this? Because it's alright if you want to look for another way. This is quite an extreme and once we start, I won't be able to reverse anything."_

Letting out an annoyed chatter, the ferret glared at the girl.

_"Stop being such a pansy. I'm sure, now lets get started already!"_ he demanded with an impatient squirm. Hadn't he coddled her enough yet?

Smiling at her friend's enthusiasm, Aoi set him gently on the kitchen table in front of her. Fortunately for her, Kin was currently on an away mission and wasn't due back for a few days yet. She hated to think what her sister would make of her experimenting in such a fashion.

Leafing open the book she had taken from the library, she turned to the page that detailed creating external chakra stores.

After scanning the page for the millionth time, Aoi placed it beside her companion. Taking a deep breath, Aoi readied her chakra and slowly reached out to cradle Toshi's furry head between her glowing palms.

* * *

Temari raised her fist and knocked firmly on the large wooden door in front of her, sending several loud bangs echoing eerily around the empty street. This was the third time she had knocked. It was becoming increasingly apparent that no-one was home.

The blonde frowned deeply to herself. Odd. It was a relatively late hour. Aoi ought to be in. Its not as though she was the partying type after all. And she certainly wasn't working. Temari had already visited the hospital to make sure. It was them that had given her this address… after a little 'persuading' that is.

Where else could she be? Feeling curios, the kunoichi reached up and tried the handle. The heavy door swung back on silent hinges, opening out into a long, darkened hallway. Temari felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something didn't feel right…

Eyes narrowing, the kunoichi quick pulled her battle fan off her back and proceeded to enter cautiously, noiselessly shutting the door behind her. It wouldn't do to have one of the neighbours come along to investigate. Slowly, the blonde traversed the shadowy hallway, bypassing the staircase and making her way warily towards the light that shone from the room at the far end.

As she entered what turned out to be a spacious kitchen, her eyes were immediately drawn to the form slumped over the large dark oak table in the centre of the room, her blue locks cascading over the wood like a pale river. Eyes darting about to look for hidden threats, Temari carefully approached the unconscious figure.

On reaching her target, the kunoichi carefully felt for a pulse, relief swelling in her chest when she found one. Firmly grasping the girls shoulders, the blonde shook her harshly, hoping to jolt her into wakefulness.

"Aoi," she whispered hoarsely, eyes still scanning for danger, "Aoi, wake up!"

No response.

Unease building, Temari began to consider her next move.

Sudden movement in her peripheral vision caused the blonde's head to whip round to the doorway. In it stood Aoi's pet ferret - Toshi? Was that his name? The animal regarded her with a lazy yawn, before chirruping what sounded like a greeting in her direction.

Defences still up, Temari frowned as she studied the creature before her. He looked different somehow… Lamplight bounced of his silken coat as the ferret trotted over and quickly scrambled onto the table to stand beside his sleeping mistress.

Green eyes narrowing in concentration, Temari scrutinised the mustelid. Yes definitely different. Slightly larger for a start, and something else too. Something she just couldn't quite put her finger on.

The ferret's sharp bark broke her from her observations. Frowning, Temari looked at him questioningly.

"What?" she asked in an irritated manner, no longer worrying about keeping her voice down. She was fairly certain that if there had been others in the house, Toshi wouldn't have been acting so relaxed. Another series of chattering barks followed, along with several head gestures towards the sink.

Finally realising what the ferret was hinting at (or hoping that she had at any rate), Temari walked over to the sink and grabbed a glass off the draining board. Turning the cold tap, Temari held the glass under until it was filled to the brim with icy fluid, a wicked smirk curling across her lips. Switching of the tap, Temari turned and walked carefully over to her sleeping team mate.

Mercilessly upending the glass and tipping ice cold water over the sleeping girl's head, Temari felt a vindictive satisfaction wash through her as she watched the medic jerk comically from her deathlike sleep.

Leaping upright in her seat, Aoi glanced frantically around her in panic. What was going on? Was she under attack?

The gentle sound of Toshi's growling laugh penetrated her sleep-hazy brain. Blinking her large aqua eyes in confusion, Aoi groggily focused on the small mammal, shaking with mirth before her. Toshi.

A light frown marred the bluenette's features. The last thing she remembers was pouring all her chakra into Toshi… As she thought of it, she suddenly became aware of a pounding headache. Letting out a soft whimper, she reached a shaky hand to her forehead.

"Guess I must have overdid it…" she groaned softly to herself as she massaged her temples.

"You don't say. Now tell me, what exactly did you overdo?" enquired a dry voice to her left. Head jerking up in surprise, Aoi stared wide eyed at the familiar blonde.

"Temari-san!" she gasped as she lurched to her feet, " please forgive me for being so rude! I didn't notice you…" Temari raised a skeptical eyebrow at the bluenette. No shit. She _had_ been unconscious.

"Sit down. You are in no state to be standing," she ordered firmly, giving the medic a harsh glare to quell her weak attempts at protests. "Now tea.**(1)** Where is it?" Opening her mouth to protest, Aoi though better of it as the fearsome blonde leveled her another glare.

"… Top shelf in the green pot," she said instead. Nodding her thanks, the blonde leaned her weapon against the table as she went to put some tea on for the two of them.

Slowly, the bluenette turned her still bleary eyes on Toshi. The ferret pulled his black lips back in a strangely human smile.

_"Nice to see that you're up at last,"_ he joked as he butted her cheek playfully. Smiling, Aoi ran a hand down his sleek back.

_"What happened? Did it work? How do you feel?" _she asked him anxiously as she looked him over. Toshi let out another laugh.

_"You lost consciousness is what happened. And yes it worked! How do I feel? I feel amazing! Its like all the charka you poured into me is buzzing through my veins!"_ As if to prove his words, the ferret bounded excitedly about the table, before diving in her lap where he rolled onto his back and writhed happily. An ecstatic, if exhausted, grin spread over the girls face.

_"Well you look fantastic,"_ she smiled as examined him. Had he gotten bigger already?

A sudden thought struck the bluenette, causing her to scan the table anxiously.

_"Toshi! The book, where..?" _

_"Clam down. When I heard the Boss over there banging on the door, I thought it'd be best to hide it. I put it in your room."_

A sigh of relief escaping her lips, Aoi grinned at her friend in gratitude. She really did not want to face an inquiry as to what she was up to… particularly since she wasn't entirely sure if people would approve of what she was trying to do.

_"How long was I out?"_ she asked, changing the subject. Flipping back onto his front, Toshi sat up and met her gaze.

_"A few hours. The Boss only arrived ten minutes or so ago though. She took ages to creep through the hall, I think she was picking up the after effects of the jutsu we were using. Anyway, after she figured out that there was no-one lurking in the shadows to jump her, she tipped a glass of water over your head to wake you up."_

Gingerly, Aoi fingered her wet locks. So that was what had happened. No wonder she was cold…

_"Wonderful,"_ she moaned softly to herself, eliciting another laugh from her fluffy cohort.

"Here, get this down you. It'll make you feel better," said the blonde kunoichi as she walked back over to the table and set a steaming mug of tea before the disheveled medic. Aoi smiled gratefully at the blonde as she took a seat opposite, another mug held in her hands.

"Arigato, Temari-san." Cool green eyes, looked into Aoi's. _'So like Gaara's,'_ she realised with a start.

"Now. Tell me what it was you were doing to exhaust yourself so much you collapsed on the table?" she demanded softly. Doing her best to quell her nervousness, Aoi beamed at the blonde.

"Oh that? Nothing really. I was just practicing some jutsu that Tomasu-sensei asked me to maser. I suppose I ought to have called it quits when I felt my chakra reserves getting low, but I really wanted to crack it today… pretty stupid, I know…" she laughed nervously. Temari's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she grunted her acceptance as she took a sip of her tea.

Nervously mimicking the motion, Aoi eyed the older kunoichi apprehensively, resisting the urge to squirm in her seat like a naughty child.

"Um… Temari-san?" she murmured after a few minutes silence.

"What is it?" asked the prickly kunoichi, annoyance colouring her tone.

"Ah… not that I mind or anything… but why are you here?" the words hung uncomfortably in the air for a moment as Temari stared at her, deciding what to say.

"Baki-sensei asked me to inform you that you have been assigned to border duty with the rest of the team," she said at last, "Tomasu has been informed that you won't be available to work hospital shifts for a while."

Aoi's eyes widened in surprise at the news. She had thought that her assignment to team Baki was a temporary one, for away missions only, but apparently she was to be a full team member until further notice. A mixed wave of emotions ran through her at the news. On one hand she was sad to be leavening the hospital and she was incredibly nervous about acting as a kunoichi again, but on the other hand… it felt nice. To be part of a team again. Only this time, she could actually contribute something.

A small smile began to spread over the bluenette's face. Yes. Despite everything she was happy about this. Being part of Team Baki with the siblings. Who knows, maybe one day they might even become her friends.

"You and Gaara have been assigned the graveyard shift over on the western boarder starting tomorrow night. You are to report to the chunin in charge of that sector at midnight."

"Hai, Temari-san," replied Aoi obediently. Slowly the blonde nodded. Minutes ticked by in silence as Temari continued to stare at the bluenette, silently weighing her up. Uncomfortable under such intense scrutiny, Aoi began to fidget and glanced uneasily at the wind-user.

"Temari-san? Is there something you want to ask me?" she mumbled shyly. Slowly, the blonde woman nodded, her grim gaze pinning the younger female to her seat.

"What's going on between you and Gaara?" she asked, her voice low and serious. Aoi blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a panicky voice. Surely Temari couldn't know about Shukaku… could she? Butterflies erupted in the medic's stomach. Temari narrowed her eyes threateningly.

"I found the tea you gave him… That's some present," she growled dangerously. Relief mingled with guilt flooded the girl's features. Oh. Of course. The tea.

"Oh… the tea. Ah… well I know I probably ought to have asked Tomasu-sensei if it would be okay to take some of the herbs for private use… but I was in the glass houses gathering some for the hospital anyway… and Gaara-san gets such bad headaches that I thought it would be okay… I mean they are for the village's medicinal use… and he _was_ my patient… even if he isn't anymore… Are you going to report me?" Aoi gazed reproachfully at the blonde.

Rocking back in her chair, Temari tried to make sense of Aoi's babbled explanation.

"Wait," she said with a frown, "you took the herbs from the glass house? You didn't buy them?" Aoi stared at Temari in shock.

"Buy them? Where would I get money like that?" she asked in a perplexed voice, a look of confusion clouding her features. Snorting a laugh, Temari shook her head.

"Forget it. So how is it _you_ have access to the glass houses? As far as I understand, only a handful of people are allowed in." Aoi shrugged.

"Tomasu-sensei is the head medic and he isn't the trusting type. He thinks if he asks anyone other than me to get herbs for his own personal stock pile, then they will bring him the wrong plants or else harvest the wrong pieces. Some of the plants we grow only have certain areas with medicinal value, in some cases the rest of the plant can even be poisonous."

"So you used your access to the glass houses to steal herbs to make Gaara's tea." It was a statement, not a question. Aoi cringed slightly at the severity of the tone, but as she glanced at Temari's face she could have sworn that she saw amusement…

"Um… yes?" she tried nervously. A slight smirk flickered over the blonde's features.

"So I suppose the tea has some kind of medicinal properties? What are they?"

"Oh, I made it to help Gaara-san with his headaches. Uh… I also put in a little something extra to help him relax… I hope that was okay…"

The blonde stared at the medic incredulously. In all her life she could never remember anyone who had ever tried to help her little brother. But what does Aoi do? She makes him something to help him with his pain, and help him unwind all in one fell swoop. This girl was certainly something.

Temari looked at Aoi, really looked at her, for the first time. Pretty, kind and eager to please, if a little spineless and prone to letting herself be taken advantage of.

Basically the exact opposite of Gaara.

But who knows. Maybe the two of them would balance each other out? Baki was right: it was worth a try at least.

"Don't hurt him." Thrown by the blonde's strange statement, Aoi looked up from her tea in surprise.

"Huh? Oh, but the blend I gave him is harmless. The worst that would happen if he were to drink too much is that he would space out for a bit I guess…" Growling her annoyance, Temari shook her head and leaned forward in her chair to lock eyes with the bluenette.

"No. That's not what I mean. I'm talking about you and Gaara. Don't hurt him. He's been through enough already…"

Comprehension slowly dawning on her, Aoi smiled gently at the kunoichi.

"Temari-san, I have no intention of hurting Gaara-san. I want to help him, to be his friend… if he lets me that is," she told her softly. "You have nothing to worry about from me." Slowly, cold eyes searching Aoi's carefully for some hint of mistruth, Temari nodded.

Leaning back in her seat, Temari raised her mug to her lips and quickly finished the dregs of her tea. Setting the empty cup back down on the table, the older kunoichi climbed to her feet.

"You should get some rest. Border duty is hard even on those used to it," she commanded coolly as she lifted her fan onto her back and moved towards the exit. Scrambling to her feet, Aoi followed her guest out.

"Hai, Temari-san."

Pausing in the doorway, the blonde turned to glance back round at the girl behind her.

"The tea works. Keep making it for him," she murmured softly before opening the door and exiting.

A soft smile stole over the medic's lips as she watched the blonde disappear into the night. Perhaps she was closer than she thought in her goal to being accepted by the siblings.

* * *

The sand flew beneath her feet as she moved at pace with the redhead beside her. With nothing but the dim moonlight to guide them across the darkened desert, the way was treacherous and the going difficult.

Aoi was baffled as to how Gaara seemed able to negotiate his way in the gloom, but the Jinchuriki appeared to have no problem despite the lack of light. As it was, she felt totally blind. She had never been so glad to have Toshi on her shoulder, using his superior night vision and sense of smell to guide her way.

_"Aoi, the monster's stopping." _Grimacing at Toshi's newest pet name for the redhead, Aoi dragged her mind back to her surroundings on time to hear Gaara's footfalls slow to a halt. Mimicking his movements, the bluenette moved to his side (with a little aid from Toshi) squinting at his dim silhouette framed against the skyline.

"You are in need of a rest. We will stop here for a time," Gaara's soft voice drifted over.

An embarrassed blush crept over the medic's cheeks at his words. He was right. Her muscles were aching, her limbs felt like lead, her back was drenched in sweat and her breathing was ragged.

The redhead on the other hand still looked perfectly fresh. Aoi closed her eyes in humiliation. She had known that her years in the hospital had caused her to loose some of her fitness, but she had not realised how incredibly out of shape she had allowed herself to become.

"No, I'm fine Gaara-san. I can manage a while longer," she lied, forcing herself to sound enthusiastic. Beside her, the silhouette turned its head to give her what she was sure was a perfectly emotionless look that somehow still managed to convey his skepticism in a way only Gaara could.

"You are in no state to continue. Our patrol will be more efficient if we rest now," he told her in his cool, impassive voice. Knowing that he was right, Aoi hung her head in defeat.

"…hai, Gaara-san," she mumbled dejectedly as limped over to the shade of a nearby dune. On reaching her destination, the girl collapsed to her knees, gratefully resting her back against the sandbank and stretching her throbbing legs out before her. Sliding her eyes closed, the medic concentrated on stilling her breathing.

The soft hiss of shifting sand alerting her to his approach, Aoi cracked an eye open and watched as the Jinchuriki slid his gourd from his back. Settling it on the ground between them, Gaara lowered himself onto the cool sand, lightly resting his back against the dune.

"… Gomenasai, Gaara-san. I know that I must be a burden to you. Truly, I did not realise how out of shape I was," Aoi sighed sadly.

"..."

"I suppose it's easy to consider yourself fit when all that you have to do is run around a hospital all day…"

"..."

"I'll try harder from now on, I promise."

"..."

Gaara glanced over at the depressed girl sitting beside him. He knew that he was supposed to say something, but what exactly the etiquette was in this position was not something he was familiar with. As of yet, he had not come across it in his observations.

A flicker of annoyance ran through the redhead as his search for something appropriately conciliatory came up blank.

Why did creating bonds have to be so difficult?

Closing his blackened eyelids in vexation, Gaara thought longingly of his old ways. Perhaps being alone forever was not so bad. It certainly caused him less headaches. Then all he would have to do was threaten the girl, perhaps even kill her if he felt in the mood.

It was definitely the easier option.

_"__**And more fun, don't forget brat. Much more fun than this foolish endeavour of yours. Do you really think that anyone will accept **__**you?**__**"**_

No. He would not go back to that. Back to the unbearable pain and hate. Gaara frowned as he worked to ignore Shukaku's taunts.

They had accepted Naruto.

The tanuki's dark chuckle reverberated through the redhead's mind.

_**"But the Kyuubi brat was not a monster like you, now was he?"**_ Sea-foam eyes narrowing to dangerous slits, Gaara began to snarl back a reply, before a movement to his right reminded him of his companion.

Jaw clenching, Gaara turned his head to look at the medic beside him. Had she heard..?

_**"Oh, don't worry brat. The whelp can't hear me unless I let her. So she won't know a thing until its too late. Go on. Let her blood soothe your pain…" **_purred the ichibi.

_"Silence demon,"_ Gaara snapped venomously. He was not going to let Shukaku control him again.

_**"No..? Hmm. Maybe it's just as well. I like this pup (2), perhaps we should keep her."**_ Ignoring the one sided conversation in his head, Gaara closed his eyes and began to think of how a normal person might handle this situation.

_**"Come now, brat. If you will not give me her blood, at least let her be of some use to us…"**_ Shukaku's mocking voice rang in his mind as perverse images of exactly _how_ Aoi could be of 'use' to them flashed in front of his eyes. Repressing his growing urge to destroy something as an outlet for his anger with the demon, Gaara groped for something to say to his team mate.

"Your night vision is adequate."

Aoi glanced at her quiet companion in shock. He had been silent so long she had not expected him to answer. Not to mention the strange emotions he had been radiating…

"It is superior to that of Temari and Kankuro's." A smile split over the medic's face. Was Gaara trying to cheer her up?

"Arigato, Gaara-san. You are so good, I was worried that even my eyes were not up to shinobi standards. Although I shouldn't take the credit, I have only been able to find my way so far because I have Toshi keeping me right."

"Your methods are irrelevant. You are still successful in negotiating the terrain."

"But even with Toshi, I'm still not as good as you though Gaara-san," Aoi sighed as she wrapped her arms around her knee's pulling them towards her chest.

"I am accustomed to the dark." Aoi glanced over to the stoic redhead. That's right. Hadn't he once told her that he didn't sleep?

"Because you have trouble sleeping?" she asked gently. Brow knotted with uncertainty, Gaara turned to face her.

"Because I cannot fall asleep," he corrected. A look of pity crossed the medic's face as she gazed at the dark figure beside her.

"Gaara-san, if you wanted I could give you something to help your insomnia." She offered in a soft voice. It would be easy enough to fix him a tea… although she would probably have to make it incredibly strong as she had with his pain relief one… Mind already sifting through possible ingredients, Aoi was slightly startled by his answer.

"No, you misunderstand. I cannot sleep because when I do, I lower my defences and allow Shukaku to take control." Aoi let out a horrified gasp.

So it hadn't been an exaggeration. He really didn't sleep... but how was that even possible? Every living thing needed to sleep… right?

"But Gaara-san… how do you _survive_ without sleep?" Satisfied that he was no longer being misinterpreted, Gaara turned back to studying the horizon.

"My body is adapted to it. Most likely it is a result of Shukaku's energy sustaining me," he murmured in a low voice as he scanned for movement.

Leaning back into the cold embrace of the sand, Aoi stared at the stoic redhead in sympathy. Imagine, not being able to sleep out of fear of releasing a bloodthirsty monster on the village. What an awful burden to bear.

_**"Come now pup, surely I'm not all that bad?"**_ the dark voice chuckled in her brain, causing her to gasp out loud.

_"Shukaku-sama?"_ even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. Who else had a voice that caressed her mind and hummed through her bones?

_**"Correct, little pup. And I have a solution to your problem," **_the tanuki crooned playfully. Gaara felt himself stiffen as a look of hope flashed over Aoi's delicate features.

_"A solution Shukaku-sama..?" _she asked carefully, doing her best to keep the wistfulness form her voice.

_**"Indeed. Why don't **__**we**__** train you? We can soon have you nice and fit." **_ Although the words were innocent enough, Aoi could have sworn she heard a slight leer in the demon's tone.

She knew it was unwise even to consider Shukaku's offer… but after working so hard for so long too finally be a contributing member of a shinobi team, only to find herself once again the burden… Biting her lip in indecision, Aoi turned her head to squint at Gaara in an attempt to decipher what he was thinking.

_"Enough. Back to your cage, Shukaku. I no longer wish to hear your voice!"_ As he forced a laughing Shukaku back with his mind, Gaara spared a glance at the medic beside him. Although from her expression it was clear that she had heard the tanuki's offer, the redhead guessed that from the absence of a flush on her face, she had not been privy to the images that had come with it.

"Just so that you know… I don't expect you to honour Shukaku's offer… I realise that he was speaking without your consent and I know you must have more important ways to spend your time…"

A ripple of surprise ran through the Jinchuriki at Aoi's dejected tone. She almost sounded like she _wanted_ him to train her… Gaara frowned as he examined the blue haired girl and recalled their previous encounters. Then again, perhaps she did. After all, she had never shown an aversion to his company. The opposite in fact. Most of the time she had even seemed almost… happy to see him.

The redhead's frown deepened as he considered that thought.

She was a strange girl. But perhaps spending more time with her might shed light on the motives for her odd behaviour.

"Do you wish for me to train you?" he asked her in a cool tone. Teal eyes widening, Aoi looked up hopefully.

"Would you? I mean… if it's not too much trouble…?" Gaara watched in detached interest as the medic stumbled over her words and bit her lip. Something she was prone to doing when nervous, he noted.

"Very well," he murmured as he climbed to his feet.

"You have rested enough. We should move on." Picking up his gourd, Gaara slung it on his back.

Beaming with happiness, Aoi leaped to her feet and almost dislodging Toshi from her shoulders in the process. Grumbling irritably, the ferret gave her ear a scolding nip. With an apologetic grin at her friend, Aoi turned back to Gaara.

"All right! Let's go!"

* * *

**(1) Incase anyone is wondering why tea seems to feature so much in my fic… I am addicted to tea. I have at least four cups per day and am firmly of the belief that a good cup of tea can solve any problem. (and yes I realise that the people in Naruto-land don't drink nice normal tea, but green tea is better than nothing.)**

**(2) To anyone wondering why Shukaku is now calling Aoi 'pup' instead of 'kit', I finally managed to find out that this is the correct terminology to use for a juvenile tanuki and so have changed it accordingly **

**Heheheh. Writing perverted Shukaku is so much fun! **

**Thanks for reading! And if you want me to update as soon as possible, you know how to motivate me to write! XD**


	8. Chapter 7: Creating Bonds

**Not the longest chapter I know, (sorry about that) but after such a long wait, I wanted to hurry up and post something! The good news is it seems my writer's block is receding, so hopefully the next chapter will be longer and wont take so long to arrive!**

**And I want to thank you all for putting up with me through my writing issues! You guys have been fantastic! :D**

**Also I want to take the time to reply to an unsigned comment I just received:**

**Kaka-sensei : Thanks for your shining review! I do try my hardest to keep Gaara and co. IC, so its nice to hear that I'm succeeding! And I'm honoured you think so highly of my little fic!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Creating Bonds**

Baki raised his head to glance up at the midday sun as its rays pounded mercilessly down on the village, a flicker of annoyance running through his body. Finally a day off, one away from the never ending paperwork that haunted his very dreams… and it was too hot to do anything. Dropping his gaze in disgust, the jounin continued on his aimless wandering.

Before he had become deskbound, free time for Baki had been rare and usually spent recuperating from an injury or catching up on sleep, so honestly he was at a bit of a loss for something to do. He did not even at this point have his team to train anymore. With Suna in turmoil and her list of active ninja's reduced dramatically, team Baki had been forced to assume a chunin position, despite their lack of rank, which meant that the members were kept busy with missions and border patrol.

Although, it had been his idea to give the three genin a field promotion, Baki had to admit, he was slightly surprised how well all of them had risen to the challenge. Temari in particular. The blonde had assumed the role of team leader brilliantly.

A slight smile tugged at the corners of the veiled ninja's lips. That kunoichi would make a formidable sensei one day. Kami knows, after commanding Kankuro and Gaara, any genin team she was given would seem tame in comparison.

And then there was the newest addition. The medic. Idly Baki wondered how she was faring with her team mates. He hadn't heard anything since Temari had given him her private report on their away mission a week ago. At that time the girl had seemed to be assimilating into the team admirably (minus a few hiccups), but the siblings – particularly Gaara – were not known for their tolerance of others. Perhaps it would be wise to check up on that.

"Baki-dono!" startled from his thoughts, the jounin looked up to watch as an out of breath chunin skidded to a halt in front of him. Keeping his face straight, Baki fought to suppress the wave of foreboding that rose in his stomach.

"What is it?" he snapped, irritated by his unease. Chest heaving with exertion, the exhausted ninja straightened himself at shot his superior a look that was laced with fear.

"Baki-dono! The Jinchuriki… he's attacking a kunoichi out by the eastern training fields." Eye widening in shock, Baki let out an angry hiss. He knew things were going too smoothly.

"You, come with me," he barked as he sped off in the direction the chunin had mentioned, the other shinobi hot on his heals.

_'Gaara, what have you done now?'_

* * *

Blinking her eyes to clear them of the stinging sweat that dripped from her brow, Aoi forced herself to remain focused on her opponent. Before her, the shinobi moved fluidly, his body curved into a fighter's stance and his eyes never leaving her person as he circled her like a wolf around a kill.

Clenching her jaw, Aoi discretely dropped her hand to her weapons pouch. She was in a bad position. For someone as weak at taijutsu as she was, range combat was the only viable option when dealing with an enemy of this calibre, but instead she had allowed herself to be cornered. A fatal miscalculation on her part.

Selecting three senbon needles, Aoi slipped them between her fingers. It was unlikely that she would be able to do any damage form this position, but if she could only distract him long enough to retreat, then she might be able to turn this fight around…

Moving swiftly, the bluenette flung the first of her weapons at her target. Dropping and rolling immediately as it left her fingers, the other two soon joined their brother in the air, each flying from a different direction as the teenager dodged to new positions.

As expected, her attacks come nowhere near her opponent. Reacting lightning fast, the shinobi ducked the first, leaped backwards to dodge the second and hit the third from the air with a well aimed shuriken.

But that opening was all she was really looking for. By making him back off, Aoi had gained enough distance to be able to attempt a retreat. Channelling chakra to her legs to increase her speed, Aoi turned to flee in the opposite direction from her enemy.

_"Sand at six o'clock!"_ hearing Toshi's chirruped warning just on time, the medic dodged left to escape the attacking wave that sought to engulf her. Flipping away, the bluenette landed lightly on top of the wall that surrounded her battlegrounds and glanced wearily around for her opponent, who had taken advantage of her distraction to vanish from sight.

_"Stay alert. He's close by, I can still smell him. I'm just not sure where…"_ not daring to ease her concentration even enough to answer her friend, Aoi just ducked her head in a brisk nod to show she had heard.

The sharp hiss of sand cutting through the air alerted her to the danger she was in seconds before it struck. Leaping nimbly to the side, the kunoichi dodged the red spear as it hurtled towards her. Eyes narrowing in concentration, Aoi watched closely as the sand curved back from its strike, twining around itself like a serpent as it turned to face her once again. Body tensing, Aoi waited for it to attempt a second attack.

_"Behind you!"_ Eyes widening in shock, Aoi whipped her head round to just on time to watch as her red-headed opponent slammed his foot into her back, sending her flying. Reacting automatically, the medic used her momentum in the air to twist her body into a flip and landed skilfully on her feet several meters away.

A ridge of sand forming behind her feet as she skidded to a halt, Aoi kept her gaze locked on her opponent. She couldn't afford to give him an opening like that again. Cold eyes narrowing, the redhead moved towards her threateningly. Instantly, Aoi made to back up, determined not to allow him to close the distance between them.

To her horror found that she could not lift her feet.

Dismay clawing at her gut, the medic reluctantly dropped her eyes to the sand beneath her. The substance clung to her sandals like glue, adhering her firmly to the ground, whilst wispy tendrils, wove themselves up her legs. Acute anger at herself for not noticing the trap rippled through the kunoichi as she desperately reached for her weapons pouch in one last desperate attempt.

As if sensing her intention, the sand beneath her suddenly surged to life, swelling upwards to cocoon her body in a sandy blanket which pinned her arms firmly to her side.

Knowing that her struggles would be futile, Aoi allowed her eyes to slide closed in defeat. She was beaten.

* * *

Standing on a nearby rooftop, Baki gazed down into the training filed below, a bemused expression flickering over his face as he watched Gaara's sand coffin dissipate, releasing his prisoner.

Gaara had let her go. He had her in his grasp, a single flick of his hand and she would have been dead. And instead he had let her go.

"I don't… why isn't he finishing her off? Is he toying with her?" The chunin's baffled tone cut through Baki's turbulent thoughts. Single kohl rimmed eye narrowing in ire, Baki shot his underling a contemptuous glare.

"Fool, do you not know a training bout when you see one?" he snarled at the unfortunate man. The chunin blinked stupefied at the veiled ninja.

"… training..?" he murmured in disbelief as he cast another glance at the scene that was unfolding below them.

Internally, Baki mirrored the man's incredulity. He may only have arrived on time to watch the last few minutes of the battle, but during that time he had seen hundreds of openings that a shinobi of Gaara's standards could easily have used to best his opponent. But Gaara had held back.

Gaara never held back.

Even when sparring with his own siblings, Gaara always fought to kill. One of the main reasons why 'sparring' is not something that you tend to do with Gaara. Even he did no more than was completely necessary as the Jinchuriki's teacher.

But even if he privately agreed with the man, it wouldn't do to let him know. Subordinates should be kept on their toes.

With that in mind, Baki curled his lip in distain as he turned to face the chunin.

"Your ineptitude is not required here. Return to your post," he barked at him irritably. Cringing slightly at his superior's tone, the man in question decided it would be wise to beat a hasty exit.

Letting out a small snort of satisfaction as his companion vanished, Baki turned his gaze back towards the two youngest members of his team, a thoughtful look on his face.

* * *

As Gaara's sand released her from its suffocating grasp, Aoi fell to her hands and knees gasping for breath. Looking up as her mentor approached her, the bluenette offered him a weak smile.

"You failed to pay attention to your surroundings," Gaara infirmed her coolly as he came to a standstill before her kneeling form. Heaving a deep sigh, the medic slid her eyes closed, allowing her head to fall back down to face the ground between her arms.

"Gomen, Gaara-san. I was concentrating too much on getting away from you, I forgot to keep an eye open for other dangers," she murmured regretfully.

"Such a miscalculation would get you and your team killed in a battle situation." Somehow, Gaara's cold statement of fact hurt worse than any scolding Tomasu might have given her in his place. Chagrined, Aoi bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the ground.

"Gomen."

_"Pshh, don't listen to the monster over there, I thought we did pretty well!"_ chirruped Toshi's comforting voice as the ferret bounded towards her from his hiding place several meters away. A small smile twitching her lips, Aoi gathered the bristling mustelid into her arms.

_"Thank you Toshi, but Gaara is right. I must learn to pay more attention," _she corrected her small friend firmly. Gaara had shown a lot of indulgence in agreeing to help train her, she was not about to throw away his guidance because she messed up.

Gaara watched the silent exchange through detached eyes, objectively studying the interaction between ferret and human. Although he could not hear their conversation, he was beginning to be able to surmise what was being said from the body language that the two gave off.

Toshi runs towards Aoi, scrambles onto her lap and nuzzles her gently: he is offering her comfort.

Aoi sighs and gives the slightest shake of her head, before unconsciously curling her hands into fists: Toshi's condolences are rejected.

Toshi snorts and tosses his head: Toshi is angry at Aoi's stubbornness.

Aoi's eyes soften as she gives the ferret an affectionate swat: Toshi has made an insulting remark. Aoi is scolding him, but she is somewhat cheered by his behaviour.

Slightly puzzled, Gaara contemplated what he was observing. It was not the first time he had seen such a display between the two of them, indeed over the past week that they had all been working and training together, he had seen it with increasing frequency. From what he understood about human relations, he guessed that them allowing him to witness such intimate moments was some kind of indicator of them lessening their guard around him. A sign of their familiarity.

But what confused him more was the interaction itself. If it were Temari and Kankuro in such a position, the other would simply mock them until they regained their drive. Then they would drill each other until the lesson had been learned.

Toshi on the other hand seemed to offer words of comfort instead, allowing his mistress to draw her encouragement from there. Was this interaction unique to them? Or was this how normal people reacted in such a situation?

_**"Who cares brat?"**_

Casually ignoring the rumbling murmur in his head, Gaara continued to watch his team mate.

_**"What does it matter if it's just her and that damned furbag of hers? The point you're missing is that **__**she**__** benefits from words of praise."**_

Eyes narrowing slightly, Gaara began to wonder where Shukaku was taking this.

_**"You want to learn how to create bonds? Practice on the pup. That **__**is**__** the point in all this, isn't it?"**_ the demon crooned enticingly. _**"Do what the furbag does. Praise her. Comfort her."**_

Grudgingly, Gaara had to admit, Shukaku might be right on this one. He probably ought to say something …encouraging…

_**"And soon enough she'll be looking at you with those soft eyes and we'll have her eating out of our hands… or anywhere else for that matter!"**_ The tanuki's sniggers echoed around Gaara's head mockingly as he shoved the beast from his mind. He should have known better that to think Shukaku might have anything helpful to say.

Still. Perhaps it was worth a shot?

"You are nonetheless improving. Your fitness is rising to an adequate level and you and Toshi are beginning to learn how to synchronise in battle."

Startled, the blue haired kunoichi glanced up at him, her eyes wide and surprised at his words of praise. Slowly a smile of gratitude spread over her face, instantly brightening her gloomy features.

"Arigato, Gaara-san," she murmured happily as she climbed to her feet, allowing Toshi to climb up and take his usual place along her shoulders. With a frown Gaara noticed that the animal was beginning to look big to fit on his team mate's slight frame. When had it gotten so large?

"I will do better next time," Aoi continued. Slowly Gaara moved his gaze away from the glowering ferret and back to the kunoichi, before giving a curt nod and turning to leave.

Moving swiftly, Aoi trotted to catch up with the enigmatic redhead as he strode from the training ground. Eventually drawing level with the youth, the bluenette fell into step beside him. The two ninja walked in silence as they approached the outskirts of town.

_"Dango!"_ the joyous bark startled Aoi from her thoughts. Turning amused eyes towards her passenger, the medic giggled softly as Toshi sniffed the air excitedly before turning to nuzzle her ear in a hopeful manner. _"Can we get some please?" _

Grinning happily, Aoi nodded in agreement.

_"I suppose we deserve it after all this work,"_ she conceded with a soft laugh. A thought suddenly striking her, the kunoichi turned to look hesitantly towards her team mate.

Should she invite..?

"Gaara," she began, deciding it would be too rude not too at least ask. "Toshi and I are going to go for dango. Would you like to join us?"

Slowing to a halt, Gaara puckered his forehead in a frown as he turned his head to observe her, mild confusion rippling off his body.

"Why?" Stopping, Aoi blinked at him in bewilderment.

"Um… why what Gaara-san?" she asked, perplexed.

"Why would you ask that question?" A hot flush creeping over her face, Aoi bit her lip nervously as she dropped her gaze to the ground. It had been foolish of her to ask, Gaara was good enough to give up so much of his free time to help her train, of course he didn't want to spend any longer with her.

"G-gomen, Gaara-san. I understand if you do not wish to go," she mumbled in humiliation.

As he watched the bluenette fidget nervously before him, Gaara's frown deepened.

"I did not say that I did not wish to go. I simply asked 'why'," he replied as his pale eyes studying her closely. For some reason he felt that it was important to have this question answered.

Glancing up in surprise, Aoi met Gaara's intense green eyes and was subsequently engulfed by his pressing need for an answer. The sudden onslaught of emotion that drowned her was enough to cloud her brain adequately that she did not think about what she was saying when she replied.

"Because friends like to spend their free time together."

Gaara blinked.

"…friends?" he murmured slowly, as though the concept had never occurred to him. Eyes widening as she suddenly realised what she had said, Aoi sucked in a sharp intake of breath as waves of panic began to crashing through her.

"Ah! Gomen Gaara-san! I did not mean to be so presumptuous!" she babbled hurriedly, before biting her lip to keep herself from saying anything else stupid. Oh Kami, what had she gone and said a thing like that for?

Gaara's pale eyes narrowed as his gaze locked with hers.

"We are… friends?" he asked, his raspy voice unreadable. Linking her hands behind her back to keep them from fidgeting, Aoi broke free of his gaze.

"I um… well that is… I would _like_ to be your friend Gaara-san… but I suppose it's really up to you…" she trailed off uncertainly.

Frown deepening, Gaara mulled this revelation over.

"And friends enjoy spending time together?" he asked softly, as though trying to fit together several small pieces of puzzle in his head.

"Generally speaking yes, although I suppose there are some exceptions…" Aoi explained as she watched him closely, desperately wondering what was going through his head. All that she could sense from him was his confusion and that really didn't help her to figure out if she had offended him.

"We have just finished training. We are on duty together in four hours. Does this not count as spending time together?"

"Well, yes I suppose it does, but that's different," Aoi shrugged. Gaara pinned her with a powerful stare.

"How?" he demanded. Breathing a soft sigh, Aoi considered how best to explain friendship to someone whom the concept was alien.

"We spend time together while we are on boarder duty or when we are on missions because we must. Friends _choose_ to spend time together because they enjoy each other's company."

Gaara remained silent for several minutes as he thought this over.

"Very well," he said at last. "I will come with you."

* * *

Gaara sipped his soup slowly as he watched Aoi and Toshi playing with the left over dango sticks, his mind only half on the strange display before him.

He was still slightly surprised that he had accepted the kunoichi's offer. Sharing meals was not something that he was accustomed to. But she had wanted to spend time with him. Gaara's emotionless gaze came to rest on Aoi's laughing face.

Because she claimed she wanted to be his friend.

Gaara frowned slightly as he considered what was being asked of him. Did he really know how to be someone's friend?

…No. Not really.

But still, he supposed that this was as good a chance as any to try. Perhaps this friendship could provide an insight into people and their interactions that simply observing could not. Provide him with someone to explain the more obscure things that people felt the need to do to one another.

And he had enjoyed the dango. It had been years since he had last been able to purchase the treat. All the sellers in Suna were… reluctant to serve him, to say the least.

It was always the same when he approached one of the carts. The vendors would look at him with cold contempt that was borne of years of fear and hatred and find reasons to not be able to serve him.

More often that not it had resulted in their deaths.

This time had promised to be no different. Seeing that look again had awoken the anger that he had been working so hard to control and made him want to lash out. To rain down the fool's blood in retribution for daring to look at him like that.

Before he even knew what he was doing, his sand had been sweeping towards his unsuspecting victim…

But before he could follow through on his intention, Aoi had stepped in his way, walking towards the vendor with a happy smile and a cheery greeting. Caught off guard by her interference, Gaara had paussed his attack and just watched as she had placed the order, gaining no complaint from the shocked salesman.

Aoi.

The girl was a puzzle to him. Why was it she never acted as the others?

Gaara watched as the bluenette and the ferret rolled around on the dusty ground, one end of a syrupy dango stick clenched firmly between each of their jaws as they played tug-o-war.

He did not know what to make of her. But then again, perhaps this 'friendship' would help him with that.

* * *

**Just to clarify about Gaara's relationship with Aoi as over the course of the fic I have had a few people asking: At this particular point in time Gaara sees Aoi as a puzzle, something he can't quite get, and views her offer of friendship as a way to practice interacting with other people. Aoi on the other hand wants to be Gaara's friend because of her insight into his emotions and her desire to help him.**

**I hope that clears up everyone's confusion on the matter :D**

**No Temari and Kankuro in this chapter unfortunately ******** but they'll make an appearance in the next one I promise. Kin too is due some screen time, but whether that will be in the next chapter or the one after I haven't decided yet. Plus the outcome of Toshi and Aoi's ongoing experiments will soon be made clear!**

**Till next time!**

**Friglit**


	9. Chapter 8: Sibling Love

**Sorry guys, I intended this chapter to be a tad longer, but I had to end it where I did or else it would have been gargantuan!**

**Still, lots of Temari and Kankuro as promised.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Sibling Love**

Nose wrinkling in disgust, Kankuro poked the congealed mess in the saucepan dubiously with a nearby wooden spoon. There was a soft click as the utensil bounced off the rock solid substance.

Whatever it was, it was not edible, the puppet master concluded as he abandoned his interest in the questionable material and backed away slowly on the off chance it may feel the need to strike him back. Unlikely, perhaps, but with Temari's cooking you could never be too careful.

Satisfied that the gunk in the pan was not about to come to life, Kankuro cast his eye about the cluttered kitchen for something else to stave off his hunger. Eventually settling on some week old rice that he found festering in the fridge, the puppeteer fished some soy sauce out of the cupboard and sat down to eat.

He was crunching his way through the second mouthful when the door swung open to reveal his elder sister. Turning his brown eyes lazily towards her frowning figure, the shinobi continued to chew as he idly wondered what was irritating the blonde.

"What are you eating?" asked Temari as she threw herself down into the chair opposite him with a frustrated sigh.

"Rice," he replied thickly from behind a mouthful, spraying his half chewed food all over the table. Hastily moving out of the line of fire, the wind-nin shot her brother a disgusted look.

"Not the stuff that was in the fridge from last Wednesday?" she asked in repugnance. "It was practically growing stuff! Why would you even consider eating that?"

Ignoring her revulsion, the brunette shrugged.

"Couldn't find anything else."

"What do you mean you couldn't find anything else?!" snapped Temari as she sat up straighter, her eyes glinting dangerously. "I left porridge on the stove!"

"So that's what that was…" Kankuro muttered into his bowl with a grimace.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Looking up with a snort, the puppeteer gave his sister a pointed look.

"It means a starving pig wouldn't eat that crap."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

* * *

Running a hand through his unruly red locks, Gaara moved lazily from the direction of his bedroom and wandered towards the stairway, his mind too busy trying to school an irate Shukaku into submission to take much notice of what was going on around him. An abrupt loud clanking thud, followed by a girlish scream tore the Jinchuriki's mind from his task.

Pausing in his descent of the stairs, Gaara turned his emotionless gaze towards the kitchen door. Several more thuds followed by some muffled yells ensued. Gaara looked carefully at the solid wood that was all that stood between him and what sounded like some kind of war zone.

After another few moments of deliberation, the redhead resumed his descent and moved swiftly in the direction of the front door.

* * *

Kankuro sat nursing his swollen lip as he glared sullenly at his sister. Ignoring the malevolent looks she was getting, the blonde tipped the last of the broken crockery into the bin.

"Now," she said calmly as she turned back to face him. "The reason why I wanted to talk to you…"

"Oh so there _was_ a reason? I though you just wanted someone to abuse…" muttered the puppet master under his breath.

Shooting the youth a venomous glare to let him know he hadn't been nearly quiet enough, Temari continued.

"The reason I wanted to talk to you is about Gaara." Kankuro let out an un-amused snort.

"Of course. What else," he drawled moodily.

"Kankuro…" Temari growled warningly. Heaving a sigh, the shinobi gestured his surrender.

"Alright," he muttered in defeat. "Tell me. What is it about Gaara?"

"Baki saw him and Aoi training together yesterday." Kankuro blinked at his sister in disbelief.

"What is she crazy? Wait… he didn't…"

"No," the blonde interrupted shaking her head. "He didn't kill her." Sitting back in his seat, the hooded youth allowed a wave of relief to ripple through him. Thank Kami for that. But still. Sparring with Gaara? Somehow he doubted that the bluenette was of a high enough standard to survive that – these days even Baki had trouble – so why was she still alive?

"Baki stopped them?" he asked, a slight frown on his painted features. A small, almost smile curling at her lips, Temari shook her head once more.

"He didn't have to," she murmured softly as she met her brother's confused gaze. "Gaara wasn't trying to kill her. He was holding back. Baki said that it looked more like he was _training_ her."

The brunette shot Temari an incredulous look.

"Gaara. Training," he repeated slowly, as though sure that he had misheard. "Are you nuts?!"

Setting her hands firmly on her hips, the blonde scowled at her brother.

"Are you questioning Baki-sensei? He knows him as well as we do. If that's what he says he saw, I believe him."

Snorting in disbelief, Kankuro shot his sister a look.

"I'm saying he must have got it wrong. He may not have been his usual psycho-self lately, but still Gaara playing nicely with others? Sorry I don't buy it."

"But that's just it," murmured Temari as she walked forwards to lean on the table, pressing home her point. "It wasn't just anyone. If it was I'd be sceptical too. But it was Aoi." Kankuro scowled in her direction.

"So? What does it matter that it was Aoi he was 'training' with?" he snapped irritably, rapidly loosing patience with the blonde's not so obvious implications.

Rolling her eyes at her brother's stupidity, Temari gave a quiet snort. Men.

"Kankuro, think about it," she murmured in exasperation. "For whatever reason, Gaara has been acting differently lately. Particularly around this girl."

"Oh right, I forgot. This 'crush' of his," the puppeteer scoffed scornfully. "But I still don't see what that has to do with me."

Temari drummed her fingers on the table as she thought things over.

"Clearly the two of them are getting close," she said softly as her green eyes flickered up to meet her brother's bored gaze. "I think we should keep an eye on them."

Kankuro blinked at her incredulously.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said holding up his hands in a 'stop' gesture. "Wait a minute. I though you were all for Gaara and the little blue becoming an item?" Temari silenced him with a hot glare.

"I am all for whatever is best for Gaara," she snapped in reply, before softening her tone slightly. "But we can't be sure that this is what is. Let's face it, Gaara's pretty emotionally inept, this kind of relationship may be too far out of his depth. It's our job to monitor things to make sure they don't get out of hand."

"_Pretty_ emotionally inept? That has to be the biggest understatement of the year…" sneered Kankuro. "And let me guess. You want me to have another cosy little chat with everybody's favourite murderer. And it can't be you because this is another 'guy' thing?"

Temari's eyes narrowed dangerously in her brother's direction.

"Yes as a matter of fact I do want you to speak to him again," she snarled through gritted teeth. Kankuro's lip curled.

"And what exactly will _you_ be doing, while I risk life and limb to pry into the brat's lovelife?"

A small smirk flitted over the blonde's face at the question.

"_I'll_ be doing the 'girl' thing," she retorted smugly. The puppeteer frowned in confusion.

"…what?" he asked, perplexed. Temari folded her arms lazily beneath her breasts, the smirk still playing on her lips.

"You are going to talk to Gaara, to see what you can find out about what's going on between him and Aoi, what he thinks about it, what he wants to happen, anything you can. In the mean time, I'm going to be grilling Aoi."

Kankuro sat staring at his elder sister silently for a time.

"You know Temari, I think you've lost it," he remarked conversationally. Temari's brow snapped down ominously.

"What?" she asked, her tone icy. Kankuro shrugged.

"The minute Gaara turned the tiniest bit approachable, suddenly all these suppressed maternal instincts you seem to be harbouring went into over drive." Temari glowered at the painted youth across the table from her.

"He's our _brother_. So excuse me for trying to do right by him, for doing my best to help him to change. To stop being a cold blooded murderer who would turn on us at the drop of a hat and to turn into something _human. _Don't you want that?" she snapped in frustration.

A look of pain flashed across the puppet master's face before he looked away, his eyes turning to gaze determinedly out of the window.

"What I want doesn't matter," he snarled coldly. "The fact of the matter is that a rabid dog will bite you, regardless of whether your hand is there to strike it or to feed it. This is the same person who not so long ago claimed his sole reason for existence was to kill. The same person who has tried to kill us both countless times before and would have gone through with it had Father and Baki not been there to stop him. You and Sensei seem to have forgotten that." Gritting her teeth, Temari jerked upright, hands curling into fists by her side.

"But he's not like that anymore," she yelled angrily. "You can't deny that he has changed!"

"Yes he's changed!" replied Kankuro, his tone vicious. "But for how long? Who's to say he doesn't just get bored of this new kick he's on? Or he doesn't just lose it and decide to go back to slaughtering everyone when Aoi, or someone else snubs him?" Closing his eyes, the shinobi took a deep stabilising breath.

"You and Baki seem so ready to believe that he _can_ change. I'm just not so sure…" he murmured, his tone much softer. Raising his weary eyes he looked despondently into Temari's.

"Because I have to," she whispered. "I need to believe that somewhere in that creature is something worth saving. Is our little brother. That bastard father of ours really did a number on us both, but nothing compared to what he did to Gaara."

"And if you're wrong? If he turns back into what he was?" rasped the painted youth, his eyes searching hers. Temari's jaw clenched momentarily.

"Than we deal with that when it happens. But until then, we do whatever we can to avoid it. Okay?" Slowly Kankuro nodded.

"Okay," he agreed.

* * *

Kankuro found his brother in one of the northern training fields. The puppet master paused to watch the redhead as he used his shuriken to strike the distant targets, hitting them all dead centre. He waited until he saw the tendrils of Gaara's sand wisping round the weapons to retrieve them, before slowly approaching him.

Ignoring his brother's presence, the Jinchuriki concentrated on using his sand to move the target dummies into more challenging positions. Once he was satisfied, Gaara reached down to accept the weapons that his tendril of sand was offering him. Cool green eyes assessing the new targets, Gaara considered his best approach.

Slowing to a halt a few feet away from the redhead, Kankuro watched as he suddenly launched himself into the air. Light flashed off the shuriken as he threw two in quick succession from the pinnacle if his jump. Landing lightly on the ground, the shinobi dodged lightning-fast to the right before throwing another.

The puppet-master watched spell bound as the newly liberated throwing star spend up towards its brothers as they flew down. A high pitched 'ping' noise sounded around the silent training field as the two stars met and deflected off on another, speeding into opposite directions.

A short series of soft 'thunks' were heard as all three airborne weapons found their targets.

Satisfied with his throws, the redhead turned his gaze towards his team mate.

"Nice hits," grunted Kankuro, impressed despite himself. Gaara continued to stare calmly at his brother.

"Did you want something?" he asked, his raspy voice as emotionless as usual. Kankuro shrugged uncomfortably.

"I was just wondering where Aoi was" he lied quickly. Gaara frowned at the puppeteer.

"Aoi obviously is not here. Why would you ask me her whereabouts?" he inquired, slightly puzzled.

Slightly more at ease now, Kankuro let a slight smirk flicker suggestively over his face.

"Figured you might know where I could find her," he replied smoothly. Gaara looked at him strangely.

"Why would I know?" The older sibling gave another innocent shrug.

"Well you two seem to be spending all you time together lately…" he trailed off pointedly as he examined Gaara's impassive face. Slowly the sand-nin folded his arms across his chest.

"Of course. Aoi and I were assigned boarder duty together. It is unavoidable that we would be spending time with one another. That does not make me aware of her movements outside of patrol duty," he replied coolly, his suspicion beginning to flicker to life.

What exactly did Kankuro really want?

"Rumour has it that the two of you have been training together as well." Growing bored with his brother's question's Gaara turned back towards the target dummies.

"That is correct," he murmured as he began assessing other ways that he might hit his targets.

Kankuro allowed his sibling time to get absorbed in his strategising before throwing in his next comment.

"Kind of unusual for you isn't it? Your not normally one for training with others," he remarked casually as he too turned his eyes in the direction of the targets, but he was careful to study his brother's reaction from the corner of his eye.

"Aoi asked for my aid in her training."

A flash of shock running through his body, the puppet-master carefully schooled his expression to keep it neutral.

"Huh," he murmured. "So, what exactly is going on between you two?"

Gaara paused in his assessment at the question. The falter did not pass unnoticed by his brother.

"…She says that we are friends…" he admitted at last, his voice low, as though he was still struggling to decide what he thought of such a thing. Kankuro examined his brother through shrewd eyes before slowly nodding.

"Well," he yawned, stretching his arms above his head lazily. "I'll go try at the hospital for her then." Nodding a farewell, the painted youth shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly wandered off.

Turning his head, the Jinchuriki watched his brother walk away.

Kankuro certainly seemed interested in Aoi.

Gaara could think of only one reason why that might be.

_'Kankuro has a crush on Aoi?'_ the red head mused as he watched the brunette disappear from view. Frowning slightly, Gaara thought of all the times he had watched the two interact. It had certainly not seemed that way on the mission. At least not to him.

But then again, what did he know about such things?

* * *

Sighing deeply, Aoi made her way towards the public bath house. She knew that is was pointless to waste her money scrubbing off the days grime when she would only get twice as dirty on her patrol in a few hours, but Kami, did she feel like she needed one.

She had just finished a particularly gruelling shift up at the hospital. Technically as long as she was doing boarder duty, she had the right to refuse the work, but she always felt obligated to do what she could. And in Tomasu-sensei's defence, he did keep what he asked of her to the minimum, but the problem was that he simply did not have faith in the rest of his subordinates. Whenever something particularly delicate came up he always insisted on dealing with it personally, and only Aoi would do to assist him.

Not to mention she was _still_ the only one he would let in the glass house to gather herbs.

Today had been an especially hard day. She had been called in last minute to help with a pregnancy that had developed complications. The woman had been rushed in following heavy bleeding and violent abdominal spasms only to find that the pregnancy was ectopic. To make matters worse, during the surgery the woman had haemorrhaged on the table and very nearly died.

Fortunately they had managed to save her life, but the consequences were dire. They had never had any hope of saving the baby, they had known that, but the damage caused by the body's attempts to spontaneously abort made it probable that the woman would never be able to conceive again, or even if she did any future pregnancy would be at great personal risk.

Needless to say the woman was inconsolable. The anger and accusation Aoi had seen in her eyes when she had told the woman the bad news had pained the medic to the very core.

So, waste of money or not, today she was going to the baths to unwind. To scrub away the horrors of the day.

_"You want me to wait for you?"_ chirruped Toshi gently as he rocked back to sit up on his hind quarters and cocked his head to one side.

The bluenette smiled tiredly at her friend. Over the course of their on going experiment, Toshi had almost doubled in size, causing him to become too large to fit into his pouch or lounge across her shoulders any longer. Fortunately however he had also developed ninja speed and so at the very least could still quite easily accompany her on her missions.

Still, there were times when she missed the familiar weight of his warm body curling comfortingly around her neck.

_"Thank you Toshi, but I'll be fine. I'll meet you at home in a few hours." _Nodding his head, the ferret barked a goodbye before trotting off in the direction of their house. Turning her back on the retreating mammal, Aoi entered the women's baths.

After paying and carefully stowing her things in a small locker, the bluenette sank gratefully into the steaming water. Letting out a loud sigh, Aoi leaned back, enjoying the peace and quiet of the deserted bathhouse.

Five minutes drifted by in steamy relaxation before the unmistakable sound of the door sliding open broke the silence. Eyes snapped open, the medic bit back a groan. She had really been hoping to have the place to herself. She only prayed whomever it was did not feel chatty. She wasn't sure that she was up to mindless small talk. Turning around, the bluenette glanced over to see who had just entered.

Seeing Aoi's surprised face, Temari bit back a smirk as she lowered herself into the hot water next to the girl, offering her only a brisk nod by way of greeting. Eyelids sliding closed, the blonde leaned back and soaked up the peaceful atmosphere.

"Unusual to see you in here at this time," she remarked casually, not bothering to open her eyes. "You still have patrol duty to do, don't you?"

"Oh, um… yes I do. I just… felt like I needed this…" Temari quirked a small smile.

"Bad day?" Aoi flopped back against the side, feeling her usual calm front disserting her.

"The worst," she moaned, letting out a brittle laugh. "There just aren't enough hours in the day! All I seem to do is work! I work at the hospital to keep Tomasu-sensei happy and keep my medical skills, I train with Gaara to improve my ninja skills, I work with Toshi to improve _his_ ninja skills and then I go on patrol to protect the village!"

Opening her eyes, Temari slowly lifted an eyebrow as she watched the bluenette continue on her out of character rant.

"And it's never enough! I'll _never_ be as good a ninja as Gaara! Or be a good enough medic that when I tell people that there was nothing we could do, they won't look at me like it's all _my fault_!" squeezing her eyes shut, Aoi was left panting with the exertion of venting all the ill feeling that she had been harbouring.

"You done?" asked Temari in a bored tone. Blinking moist eyes, Aoi nodded uncertainly.

"I guess…" she muttered, embarrassed that the blonde kunoichi had been privy to her little tantrum.

"Good. Now shut up and listen," growled Temari firmly as she turned to face the bluenette. "One: you're right. You will _never_ be as good a ninja as Gaara, but almost no one is. Get over it and just work on improving your skills as best you can."

Surprised by her team mate's harsh tone, Aoi nodded dumbly.

"Two: I don't know much about what goes on in that hospital, but I do know that you _are_ a good medic. Tomasu would never have kept you on as his apprentice otherwise, nor would he demand your presence during every tricky procedure.

"But no matter how good you are, as a ninja or as a medic you can't win them all. Sooner or later, something horrible will happen and when it does people will want someone to blame. More often than not that is going to be you. Not because it is your fault, but because you are _convenient_. Learn to deal with that or find yourself a new profession.

"And finally, don't just sit here and complain that people are running you ragged. If you have too much on your plate then for Kami's sake do something about it before your exhaustion causes you to make a mistake that we will all suffer for. Tell Tomasu you need more time off, tell Toshi that you need to cut down training with him, tell Gaara you can't train with _him_ if you have too. But do something other than whine about it. Understand?"

Aoi blinked several times.

"Hai, Temari-san," she said at last. Grunting Temari leaned back and let her eyes closed once again. The pair sat in silence for a time.

"Just out of curiosity, any idea what your going to jack in?" the blonde asked as her green eyes flickered open to observe the meek little kunoichi beside her. Aoi looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I suppose I'll have to tell Tomasu-sensei that I wont be able to do any more shifts at the hospital. I really need to keep doing the others if I ever want to be a decent kunoichi, I guess being a medic can take a back seat for a while. I'll still help out if he feels he needs me for a specific procedure, but other than that…"

Temari bit back a sigh of relief. Things might have become awkward had she chosen to ditch Gaara's training.

"So how is the training going? With Gaara I mean." Brightening considerably Aoi beamed at her team mate.

"It's going wonderfully! Gaara is a brilliant teacher, he drills me hard, but I feel like I improve after every session!"

Temari frowned slightly at the bluenette. Aoi blinked.

"What..?" she asked, suddenly nervous.

"You called him Gaara. Not Gaara-san. Just Gaara." Biting her lip, Aoi fought off a blush.

"Oh… I uh… well that is, we are friends now so I thought I could drop the honorific… do you think that was too forward?" Temari raised an eyebrow.

"That depends. Have you called him it to his face?" The medic nodded guiltily.

"Did he seem annoyed by it?" Aoi though for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

"Then I think you're okay," murmured Temari as she lay back in the water, fighting off a small smile.

So. Aoi thought that she and Gaara were friends? And Gaara had allowed her to drop his honorific without threatening her bodily harm.

Plus she seemed to enjoy spending time with him.

It seemed things were going well.

"Oh and Aoi?"

"Hmm?" the bluenette looked up, startled out of her thoughts.

"Gaara finished that tea you made him. He needs some more." A happy smile broke over the teenager's face.

"Of course Temari-san." Temari gave an irritated snort.

"Enough with the 'san'. If you can drop Gaara's honorific, you can damn well drop mine," she snapped irritably.

Aoi's smile widened.

"Hai, Temari."

* * *

**Blimey! I meant for this too be a light hearted Kankuro/Temari chapter, but instead it turned a bit angsty up there in the first scene. Oh well, at least it explains why Kankuro feels the need to act the way he does.**

**Eh, not a lot happening in this chapter but like I said had to end it here to stop it getting ridiculously long. **

**Things get more exiting in the next one I promise!**

**Bye for now!**

**Friglit**


	10. Chapter 9: Collision

**Chapter 9: Collision  
**

"Gaara!"

At the sound of his name, the redhead paused his journey down the darkened street and turned in the direction of the shout. He watched idly as a smiling Aoi dropped down from a nearby roof top and trotted swiftly to his side, her usual furry shadow close behind.

"Aoi," he greeted as she slowed to a halt before him. Her smile widening in response, the bluenette turned her attention to the weapon pouch strapped to her hip as she spoke.

"I was hoping I would catch you before patrol," she murmured absently as she rummaged around in the stiff canvas case.

Mild curiosity stirring within him, the redhead raised a nonexistent eyebrow as he silently waited for the medic to elaborate. Fingers finally closing on what she had been searching for, Aoi let out a soft 'Ah' of triumph as she pulled a familiar canvas bundle out from her ninja kit. Beaming happily, the bluenette held the package out to him in an expectant manner.

Blinking slowly, Gaara gave the package a blank look before lifting his eyes to meet Aoi's gaze.

"You wish to see me?" he asked, ignoring the offered bundle.

Somewhat surprised, Aoi hesitantly lowered her arms and pondered the redhead's rejection, before the truth finally dawned on her. He didn't understand. Smothering the urge to chuckle at the Jinchuriki's naivety, Aoi simply nodded in response, reminding herself that Gaara was still adjusting to the concept of friendship.

"Yes. I wanted to give you this," she explained kindly as she gestured to the bundle in her hands. "It's more tea. Temari said that you had finished the last batch I made for you."

Glancing towards the bundle, Gaara's forehead creased in a small frown.

"You made more." His tone told Aoi that it was more of a statement than a question.

"Um… yes…" the bluenette answered slowly, the fear that her gesture was unwelcome reawakening. "Gomen, did you not want anymore? Was there something wrong with it?"

The pale shinobi lifted his gaze from the bundle in her hands to meet her anxious eyes.

"No, it's not that. The tea is… fine," he assured, his voice calm. Instantly relieved, Aoi gave Gaara a small smile.

"Then what's wrong?" she coaxed gently.

"On giving me the first bundle you said it was a 'thank you' present for saving your life. I have not done anything to warrant another present." This time, Aoi could not prevent a small giggle from leaving her lips.

On hearing the sound, the redhead's frown deepened and his eyes grew slightly colder. Sobering, Aoi offered the shinobi an apologetic smile.

"Gomenasai, Gaara. I am not making fun of you. It's just, hearing you say that you've done nothing for me to thank you…" Breaking off with a rueful shake of her head, Aoi locked gazes with her teammate. "You have done so much to help me I'm not sure I know how to even _begin_ thanking you. Because of you, I finally feel I have the ability to become a _real_ kunoichi, not just a medic. That's not something I ever expected."

Seeing the sincerity in her expression, the sand-wielder nodded slowly, his frown smoothing out.

"I see," he murmured as he accepted the gift.

"Besides," Aoi continued with a slight shrug, "even if you _had_ done nothing for me, I would still make it for you."

His confusion rekindled, Gaara gave the kunoichi a measuring look.

"Why?" he demanded.

"It helps you, doesn't it?" Reluctantly Gaara gave a tiny inclination of his head, unwilling to discuss his weaknesses in such a public place, regardless of the fact that it was deserted due to the late hour. "That's why. It's what friends do."

The redhead's frown deepened as he contemplated Aoi's words.

Biting her lip to stop from giggling once again, Aoi watched as the village's most feared shinobi, Sabaku no Gaara, Suna's ultimate weapon, became both baffled and uneasy at the simple statement.

_"For a 'genius' he really isn't too bright now is he?"_ remarked Toshi dryly as he watched the redhead.

_"Toshi,"_ Aoi scolded gently, immediately feeling guilty for her amusement. _"Don't be so harsh. This is all still new to him."_

It may have seemed cute to watch Gaara struggle to make sense of the simple facts that she was explaining to him, but she really had to remember exactly _why_ he was so clueless about it in the first place. It would be a cruel thing to laugh at his inexperience and given Gaara's past, Aoi was fairly certain that he would not take kindly to her amusement.

_"Whatever," _snorted the mustelid as he looked away, clearly not sharing her sympathy but unwilling to revisit the old argument.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation with her small friend, Aoi turned her attention back to her teammate.

"So, were you on your way to check in for duty?" she asked casually as she glanced up at the crescent moon that was slowly approaching its zenith in the night sky.

Cool, sea-foam eyes flickered back towards the medic at the question. Setting his thoughts aside for a more convenient time, the redhead gave a single silent nod as he placed the packet of tea safely inside his own weapons pouch.

"It's a little early yet," mused Aoi as she glanced back towards her companion, "but I suppose there's no harm in being early. Besides, this way we can take our time getting there."

Moving to his side, Aoi smiled expectantly at Gaara until he fell into step beside her. The two walked in a comfortable silence, having grown used to each other's presence over the past few weeks they had been partnered up. Or rather, Aoi and Gaara walked in silence, but the redhead was fairly certain that Toshi and Aoi were conducting their own private conversation by the occasional chattering barks the ferret would give and the expressions that continued to flicker over the girl's face.

Not that Gaara was paying particular attention, of course. His thoughts had returned to ponder the new pieces of information he had gained.

It seemed this 'friendship' was more complicated than he had first realised…

As he mused, the Jinchuriki noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. Slowing his gait down, Gaara turned to watch as a drunken couple stumbled out of a bar across the street, their hands greedily exploring each other's bodies as they exchanged sloppy kisses.

Realising that her partner was lingering in place, Aoi turned to see what had ensnared his attention. On seeing the oblivious pair as they fondled each other and slowly backed into a nearby alleyway, the medic immediately flushed scarlet and hastily dropped her eyes to the ground. Worrying her lower lip nervously between her teeth, Aoi shot a surprised glance in Gaara's direction as the redhead continued to study the couple with detached interest.

Apparently Gaara had more in common with a 'normal' fifteen-year-old boy than anyone gave him credit for…

Gaara watched as the inebriated civilians vanished into the gloom of the alley, no doubt to continue their activities in a more private area. A sudden image of the two copulating on the dirty paving of the dingy alley flashed through Gaara's head. The genin fought the urge to let his lip curl in disgust as Shukaku's rumbling laugh echoed thorough him mind.

_**"Don't knock it 'till you've tried it brat!" **_the demon leered. Fastidiously ignoring the taunting voice in his head, the Jinchuriki kept his eyes trained on the ally that the couple had vanished into.

Seeing the two drunkards intertwined in such a fashion had caused him to remember his earlier conversation with Kankuro. It was a strange concept to grasp that his brother had a crush on his partner. That Kankuro wanted to do things like _that_ with Aoi…

_**"Oh? What's this?" **_Shukaku mused in his deep sadistic voice as his sinister presence glided uninvited along Gaara's thought trail. _**"So the painted brat has a thing for our little pup?"**_

Gaara's eyes narrowed in annoyance as the tanuki continued to muse aloud.

_**"We can't allow that,"**_ the beast purred seductively, rusty tendrils of his chakra beginning to seep out of his cage and bleed into the redhead's circulatory system._** "We should teach him a lesson. Make him scream… use his blood to let everyone else know that they may **__**not**__** play with our toys…"**_

Anger flaring, Gaara forced Shukaku's encroaching presence back from the forefront of his mind. He did not care what Kankuro wanted to do with Aoi. That meant nothing to do with him. His only concern was trying to decipher out his brother's strange behaviour in order to better understand human interaction.

Shukaku let out one of his bone-shaking laughs as he struggled to maintain his influence.

_**"Oh really?"**_

Eyes narrowing, Gaara used a sudden sharp flare of chakra to force the ichibi back into his cage and burn the rusty taint of the demon's chakra from his own. He had no interest in indulging the tanuki's desires. In _any_ way.

"Um… Gaara? Is everything okay..?" His thoughts interrupted, the redhead glanced at his companion.

"… I'm fine," he murmured as he turned and resumed walking.

Holding back a sigh, Aoi smothered her concern. Whatever it was that was troubling her teammate, he clearly did not want to discuss it with her…

"Aoi," Gaara's soft raspy voice abruptly broke through her thoughts. Lifting her head, the bluenette gazed curiously at her companion.

"Hmm?"

"It is common practice among friends to discuss things that trouble or confuse them, correct?"

… Or maybe he did. Blinking in surprise at Gaara's uncharacteristic desire to talk, Aoi, quickly pulled herself together and gave the teenager a gentle smile.

"Yes, friends discuss things like that. Is there something that you want to talk about?"

A frown once again gracing his face, Gaara remained silent for a time as he considered how to begin.

"I am… unaccustomed to social interactions," he began slowly, sounding slightly unsure of himself.

"Yes?" Aoi encouraged quietly.

"People are difficult to understand. Their actions often appear to be contradictory." Now it was Aoi's turn to frown.

"What do you mean by that?" she queried. Gaara's penetrating gaze lifted to meet hers.

"Is it possible for a person to harbour feelings for another while continuing to treat them with contempt?"

Pausing, Aoi considered this for a while.

"I suppose so. I guess it depends on the person, but you do get people that for whatever reason, have difficulty expressing emotions. More often than not, it's caused by the fear of rejection. One way person might deal with that is to act negatively towards the object of their affections."

Halting beside the medic, Gaara stared at the girl, irate puzzlement radiating from his body.

"If they have feelings for them, then what is the purpose in treating them in such a way?" he demanded impatiently. Aoi shrugged.

"It's quite a childish way of dealing with things, but by behaving nastily towards the person they care about, it makes sure that the person will notice them and give them the attention they want, even if it is not in the _way_ they want," she explained patiently.

Mulling it over for a moment, Gaara gave a slight nod and continued towards their destination, content with Aoi's explanation.

Kankuro treated Aoi as he did because he was afraid if he revealed the feelings he harboured for her she would reject him.

Although his brother's reasoning seemed flawed to Gaara—after all surely treating Aoi in such a way would only increase the likelihood of her rejection—he was beginning to understand it nevertheless. Had he not reacted in a similar way towards the village? He might have been blind to it at the time, but in retrospect it seemed clear to him now that his desire to lash out and kill those who had hurt him, was at least partially caused by a buried desire for their acknowledgement.

Fear and hatred was infinitely preferable to apathy.

Feeling more at ease now that someone had shed light on this particular mystery, Gaara felt his gaze drawn back to the girl beside him.

It seemed this friendship was turning out more beneficial than he had initially expected. He had decided to go along with it in order to better understand bonds by experiencing them firsthand. He had not considered that she might also aid him in deciphering the hidden meaning behind so many of the strange interactions he had observed.

Feeling the calm aura that was now emanating from her partner, Aoi let a happy smile spread over her face. It did not take a genius to work out who Gaara was talking about.

Aoi was glad that Gaara had suddenly gained some insight to his brother's behaviour. She had been aware of it for some time now, since their first mission together.

She recalled the way Kankuro was always tying to confront Gaara, always seeking to get a rise out of him or otherwise initiate some form of sibling rivalry. It had always seemed so obvious to her that the puppeteer was desperately trying to reach out to the redhead, in his own strange way. Trying to get his acknowledgement, as a teammate and as a brother.

Perhaps now Gaara was aware of what was going on the two might be able to build a real relationship.

Glancing covertly at her friend, Aoi felt herself grin at the thought.

* * *

Inhaling deeply, Aoi let her eyes slide shut and enjoyed the cool, dry scent as it swept through her nostrils. A small smile of contentment curled over her lips as she concentrated on the sounds that were reaching her ears; the soft whispering of the breeze as it blew by, the dull crunching of her and Gaara's footfalls on the cool sand as they ran and the quicker, lighter scrabbling steps of Toshi as he kept pace beside them.

Over the past few weeks she had grown accustomed to navigating in almost complete darkness, trusting instead on her other abilities and Toshi's superior senses to guide her. It was difficult at first, training herself to stop relying so heavily on her eyes, which was why she had first begun running with them closed, but now she felt oddly comforted by the blackness.

She was learning to look forward to these nights. To her, it was an escape. Somewhere that she could let go of all the worries and stresses of her day. Somewhere that she did not have to think. Somewhere she could be alone.

_'Well,' _she corrected herself as she opened her eyes and glanced towards Gaara's silent figure. _'Not quite alone.'_

Although that being said, these days she no more minded Gaara's presence than she did Toshi's. He rarely made demands of her, or expected her to be anything other than herself. It was comforting, in a strange way. But then everything related to Gaara was strange.

Her contented smile widening as she felt a small flush of affection towards her stoic companion, Aoi ran on.

_"There's someone up ahead!" _Toshi's bark startled her from her musings.

"Gaara!" Aoi called urgently, careful to keep her voice low as she slowed to a halt. "There are people up ahead."

Mimicking his partner's movement, Gaara turned in the direction Aoi gestured in and began carefully searching for chakra signatures as he waited for her to convey the full report from Toshi.

_"No, make that more than one,"_ corrected the ferret as he sat up on his hind legs, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air. _"There's a group of them heading this way, five maybe. And there's a lot of blood mingled in with the scent…" _Breaking off, the mustelid let out an annoyed chatter. There was something bothering him about this scent, something niggling in the back of his mind. If only he could get a better whiff of it, he might be able to be sure… but the origin was still too far away, all he was getting was frustrating wafts carried on stray breezes, and they were too choked with blood to be of any real use.

Nodding at his report, Aoi raised her head to gaze in Gaara's direction.

"A group of five or more heading towards us. It seems they might be hurt, Toshi says. He smells a lot of blood."

Slowly the redhead nodded. He had pinpointed the approaching chakra signatures some distance away. It was fortunate Toshi had caught their scent or else he would have missed them.

"Five," he clarified as he concentrated on the chakra of the strangers, noting the violent fluctuations in the one closest. "It would seem that one is fleeing from the others, it is mostly likely them that's wounded."

Nodding in quiet determination, Aoi climbed to her feet.

"We should check it out."

Gaara grunted his agreement. Wordlessly, the three sprinted off in the direction of the intruders.

* * *

Breath tore from Kin's raw throat as she ran, forcibly blanking out the pain that lanced through her body at every step. Blinking her eyes, the blonde forced her blurry vision to focus as her head pounded viciously. Her muscles were beginning to shake and her limbs had long since turned to lead. She was reaching her limit.

Abruptly she felt herself lurch, the leg beneath her giving out at last and sending her sprawling on the cold sand, the impact driving the air from her lungs.

Eyes sliding shut, the ANBU felt the futility of her position wash over her trembling body as she lay where she had hit the ground.

Damn it.

She wasn't going to make it.

Breath bubbling out of her bloodstained lips, the blonde felt the haziness she had been trying to keep at bay reach out to caress her exhausted mind, whispering tantalizing promises of numbing her pain. It would be so easy… to give in. To let all her troubles drift away. Already she could feel her body heat leaching away, sinking into the pale sand beneath her with the blood that flowed freely from her wounds.

Kami. She was so tired. So very tired…

_'No!'_ her mind snarled, ripping her consciousness back from the brink. She would not succumb. Giving up was for the weak.

Forcing her eyes to snap open, Kin sucked in a rasping breath as she dragged her abused body to her hands and knees. Swaying dangerously on her treacherous limbs as her muscles fought against her will, the blonde let out a hacking cough, spitting out the red fluid that bubbled into her mouth. Each convulsion that racked her body threatened to knock her back to the icy embrace of the sand once more. Letting her head hang, the ANBU felt her mind begin to reel as her vision slid in and out of focus.

A mirthless smile curved her copper stained lips as a wave of grim amusement rose up in her chest at the sound of the air as it rattled in her lungs.

She had often heard of the term 'a death rattle', but she had never before stopped to wonder where it came from. Now she knew.

Behind her, the rapid footfalls of her hunters grew louder as they neared. Catching sight of their felled quarry, one of the Oto-nin let out a crow of triumph.

The arrogant cry reaching her ears, a new sense of urgency re-awoke within Kin. She could not let them catch her. Fingers curling in the sand, the blonde gritted her teeth until her jaw screamed from exertion.

She was not done yet. She would not end her life to the sound of a rattle.

Gathering together the tattered remains of her resolve, the kunoichi forced her loudly protesting body to her feet, ignoring the rivers of red that soaked through her clothes and dripped onto the ground below.

Just a bit further. She had already crossed the border. If she was lucky she might run into a patrol before her body gave out for good.

But she would not give up.

Snarling her determination, the ANBU pushed her spent muscles to resume her former pace, concentrating on the jeering calls of her pursuers to give her strength.

* * *

As he ran, Gaara narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the approaching figures silhouetted on the horizon. His assumption had been correct. The lead figure was indeed being chased, and what was more, the tangy scent the breeze was carrying and the peculiar gait of the run told him that they were badly hurt.

As he analysed the situation, he watched the figure fall. The moonlight briefly caught the white mask and pale body armour, before glinting a deep crimson as it hit the blade, buried deep in the victim's calf.

"ANBU?" he murmured softly to himself as he watched the four unidentified ninja tear towards the fallen Suna-nin.

As he raced beside his human, Toshi heard the soft word the redhead whispered under his breath. His head jerking up, the ferret gazed at the figures before them in horror as everything finally clicked into place inside his sharp mind.

Inhaling deeply, Toshi desperately tried to deny what his nose was telling him. But there was no use. Now that he was closer there was no denying it. He finally knew why that scent was so familiar. A swirling pit of dread erupted in his stomach. Turning his head, the ferret locked hopeless eyes on Aoi.

_"It''s Kin," _he rasped harshly, causing the bluenette to glance at him in confusion._ "The one on the ground, it's Kin!"_

Time seemed to slow as Toshi's cry penetrated Aoi's mind. She was dimly aware of her heartbeat, thudding a loud, if surprisingly slow rhythm in her ears, drowning out all other sound. Slowly the medic turned her gaze back towards the fallen figure, a cloak of detached numbness settling over her shoulders.

Kin. Toshi said it was Kin.

As if drawn by their own accord, her eyes settled on the bloodstained mask that obscured the face. A hawk mask.

Kin's mask.

"No," she whispered to herself, the sound of her own hoarse voice startling her from her stupor. Immediately time resumed its former pace, the sudden noises that flooded her ears almost deafening for an instant. Eyes widening in panic, the girl's body began to shake as her veins pumped adrenaline to her muscles.

"No, no, no, no, no! Nee-san!" The words left her lips a frantic scream. Before she even knew what she was doing, Aoi found herself racing forwards, her fear lending her speed as she sprinted over the darkened sands, leaving her teammates behind.

Alerted by Aoi's screams, the four Oto-nin skidded to a halt, mere feet away from their quarry. Ignoring the fallen woman in preference of the new threat, the shinobi shifted into a fighter's stance as they locked eyes on the approaching Suna-nin.

It was only the reactions that the past weeks of training with Gaara had ingrained in her that saved the bluenette's life in that mindless headlong dash. Her subconscious recognising the sudden flash that shot through the air for what it was, Aoi found her body automatically dodging to the right. It was only as a series of dull thunks hit the ground beside her, the medic realised how close she had been to becoming a pincushion.

Too late however, she registered sudden swishing noise of a blade cutting through the air as it flew towards her chest.

The air rippled before her as the familiar hiss of shifting sand met her ears. There came a metallic clink as the flying blade struck the newly erected barrier. Knowing she was momentarily safe behind Gaara's wall of sand, Aoi allowed her eyes to squeeze closed as relief flow through her trembling body. Breathing in a shaky breath, the genin tried to pull her turbulent thoughts together. As she slowly felt herself regain a modicum of control, Aoi let her eyes slide open just on time to watch as her teammate's dark form slid to a halt next to her.

"Arigato," she murmured, a flush colouring her cheeks as she realised how foolish she had been to race ahead, despite the desperation that twisted in her stomach.

Gaara glanced towards his companion, noting the strained look on her face and the fear and pain reflected in her eyes, before allowing the barrier to dissolve and turning his eyes back towards the four ninja before them. Now that the shinobi had stopped Aoi's reckless approach, they seemed to be taking the time to regroup.

Between the two parties lay the broken body of the ANBU, her blood pooling around her, staining the white sands.

Aoi had called her Nee-san.

Another swift glance told him that the quartet of enemies was the last thing on the bluenette's mind. Her expressive eyes locked onto her sister's prone figure and with her green medical chakra swirling distractedly around her, it was clear that she was distraught. Carefully factoring that into the equation, Gaara swiftly considered his options.

If Aoi assisted in battle, the ANBU may be dead before they finish. Then whatever information she was carrying would be lost to them.

The most logical approach was to allow the medic to tend to the wounded ANBU while he battled alone. But the four Oto-nin bore no uniform besides that of the headbands. Nothing to display their rank.

If they were genin, taking four at once would not be a problem for him. If they were chunin, it may be more difficult. Jounin…

Coming to a decision, Gaara narrowed his eyes on his opponents.

"Aoi, when I attack go straight and tend to your sister. I will take care of the others."

Intense gratitude seeped through Aoi at his words. Nodding silently, the bluenette paused to give Gaara a thankful glance, before turning back towards her sibling. Kin needed her.

Doing his best to ignore the unbearably tense atmosphere, Toshi's nose twitched as he tested the air. The monster had come up with the best possible plan considering their circumstances, but he did not know everything. And as loathe as he was to revealing his and Aoi's secret, the sheer quantity of chakra he could smell from their opponents told him now was not the time to be petty.

"I'll go and get help," he growled at the redhead.

Head jerking down in the direction of the strange voice, Gaara frowned at the smirking ferret. After a moments silence, the Jinchuriki gave a single impassive nod before turning his head back towards the Oto-nin.

Slowly taking in a deep breath, Gaara prepared his chakra and launched his attack.

As the redhead sent a tsunami of sand crashing forwards, Toshi turned and darted in the opposite direction, using the chakra that circulated in his system to power his limbs to a speed that would impress most shinobi. His small paws kicking up a dust storm in his wake, the ferret sped over the dunes that separated him from the village.

He had to hurry. Jinchuriki or not, the monster wouldn't be able to hold off all four of those Oto-nin for long. They were too strong for that.

Narrowing his eyes, Toshi let out a determined growl as his pace increased even further. It was up to him to get help. This is what he had been training for. Why he had been pushing Aoi into pumping her chakra reserves into him every night since their 'experiment' had begun.

He would not let his human down again.

* * *

Sprawled out over the old scabby sofa that sat in the centre of the darkened living room of the small three-bedroom house that he shared with his siblings, Kankuro stared half-heartedly at the images moving on the small TV screen in front of him. Truthfully he was too tired to really pay attention, having not so long ago finished his own border patrol shift with his sister.

Common sense told the puppeteer just to give in and head to bed, but at this moment in time that seemed like a bit too much work. Besides, he wanted to wait for Temari. The blonde had insisted on going straight to Baki to inform him of some strange chakra surges they had sensed near the eastern border.

What the big deal was he didn't know. Alright, so what if there _was_ a battle? As long as it wasn't in Suna, he couldn't care less. Temari on the other hand disagreed on the matter.

_"It doesn't matter if it's an idiot showing off or two S-class shinobi trying to murder each other. Anything causing that much commotion this near the border needs to be checked out."_

Face wrinkling in a sneer as he remembered his sister's words and the slap upside the head that had followed them, Kankuro lazily lifted an arm to grab the remote from the coffee table in front of him and flicked through the channels in search of something more engaging.

Well, they would see what Baki had to say on the matter.

Abruptly freezing as soft banging noises drifted through from the empty kitchen, the puppet master felt his shinobi training kick in. Shoving back his fatigue with a cold disinterest, the genin slid to his feet and summoned his chakra, quickly creating strings and attaching them to the puppet he had sat by the foot of the couch.

Moving slowly, Karasu tailing behind, the brunette cautiously approached the kitchen door. Reaching his destination, the teenager readied himself for action as he wrapped his fingers around the handle.

Taking a deep breath, he yanked the door open.

A brown blur exploded from the dark room darting towards his face. Letting out a strangled yell, the genin leaped backwards, only to become entangled in his own puppet. Cursing loudly, the puppeteer hit the ground flailing.

"Smooth, teme, real smooth. And you call yourself a shinobi?"

On hearing the unknown voice, the boy stiffened, anger at his own stupidity burning in his chest as the mocking tone attacked his pride.

"Who the hell wants to know?" he spat as he finally managed to disentangle himself from Karasu's limbs and shove himself into a sitting position and glanced wildly around for the speaker.

"Down here Neko."

Eyes snapping down to the origin of the voice, Kankuro found his gaze settling on the smug looking mustelid by his feet. Blinking in disbelief, the puppeteer felt his jaw drop.

"You can _talk_?!"

Lips peeling back in the ferret equivalent of a smirk, Toshi cocked his head as he observed the stupid monkey that was sprawled before him. Kami it was good to be able to _finally_ tell this teme what he thought of him…

The mirth abruptly leaving him, Toshi remembered why he was here.

"Damn straight I can talk. But that's not important. I'm here to get your help."

* * *

**Just to be clear - Kankuro's clumsiness in this chapter was a result of his tiredness, not a reflection of his ninja skills.**

**Hum... nothing really to say to be honest. Except thanks to my new beta mysticLegend11 for all the help!**

**Please review, I love hearing feedback from my readers!**

**Friglit  
**


	11. Very Important Please Read

_**Aaaand once again I am reduced to breaking ff's rules to make a little announcement. As usual I sincerely apologize for this and hope you're not to pissed that this aint a real chapter.**_

_**Okay here's the deal chaps, I am currently in my 3**__**rd**__** year of University and this translates to me having virtually no time to write (or posses a social life for that matter). Now this DOES NOT MEAN THAT I AM GIVING UP ON MY STORIES! I have (at least at this moment in time) every intent of finishing them. However it does seem very unfair to you all to keep taking so damn long between updates. For this reason I am going to put 'The Taming of the Sand' on a TEMPORARY hold. This will allow me to focus my attention on finishing my other fic 'Seduced by a Demon'. I'm sorry that this is the fic to suffer (and please trust that I am mentally kicking myself as this is the more popular of the two) but it makes the most sense to do things this way as SBD is nearing completion as has been running longer.**_

_**HOPEFULLY finishing SBD wont take too long (or I am miraculously granted more time) and I will be able to come back to TTS soon (on the upside, when I do come back, updates will be quicker as I wont be splitting my time between the 2 fics anymore). I don't blame anyone who loses interest in this fic during my absence, but I sincerely hope you will all sympathise with my position and those who like the story enough, will be willing to wait for that update. I'm sorry if this decision upsets anyone, but I didn't feel it was fair to string everyone along and only update every few months.**_

_**Friglit**_

_**P.S I'd like to point out that when I am back this note will be deleted and the next chapter will be posted as chapter 11**_

_**P.P.S I want to take the time to promote one of my favourite authors on ff - Ginkashoku. All of her stories are fabulous, but in particular 'To Be Labeled' a humourus fic full of crack pairings. Its one of my all time favourites, but its not getting the love it deserves. So check it out, you wont regret it, I promise!**_


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